Every Monday you will find a high-quality research study here on Physiospot that has been summarized for you. The articles are chosen because they are of high quality, impact and likely to shape your clinical practice. After all, it is difficult to find the gemstones in all of the research published daily. Let us do the hard work for you.
The key to understanding how and why foam rollers work is the fascia. The fascia is an important part of connective tissue, which includes muscles that form connective chains. It is suggested that stress or injury can stiffen the fascia, causing dysfunction and pain. Foam rolling, a type of myofascial release, is a popular treatment technique that has been proposed to induce Golgi tendon organs to sense sensations of altered tension in the muscles, resulting in relaxation of the muscle fibers.
In the last ten years there have been more and more publications examining foam rolling as a treatment method with all sorts of contradicting conclusions. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize this evidence and draw stronger conclusions about the effectiveness of foam rolling as a treatment choice.
Clinical implications
The results of this systematic review suggest that the range of motion has a positive effect in the short term, but the longer-term advantages are unknown and still need to be quantified. There is little evidence that there is a performance-enhancing effect in the aesthetic population. Overall, it is likely useful to aid recovery, but likely no more effective than other common modalities like stretching or heat.
Foam rollers are very popular with runners. Why not find out why this is the case with our Biomechanics running course?
Ongoing biomechanics
Running is one of the most popular sports in the world because of its low cost and few barriers to participation. It is an exercise that is also linked to weight management and improving cardiovascular capacity. However, approximately 93% of runners experience MSK injuries related to their participation in the activity. As physical therapists, we can help our clients identify the mechanical causes of injuries, guide them through the management process and hopefully help them optimize their athletic potential while avoiding injuries.
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