Background

A single foam-rolling exercise can acutely increase the range of motion (ROM) of a joint. However, to date the adaptational effects of foam-rolling training over several weeks on joint ROM are not well understood.

Objective

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of foam-rolling training interventions on joint ROM in healthy participants.

Methods

Results were assessed from 11 studies (either controlled trials [CT] or randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) and 46 effect sizes by applying a random-effect meta-analysis. Moreover, by applying a mixed-effect model, we performed subgroup analyses, which included comparisons of the intervention duration (≤ 4 weeks vs > 4 weeks), comparisons between muscles tested (e.g., hamstrings vs quadriceps vs triceps surae), and study designs (RCT vs CT).

Results

Our main analysis of 290 participants with a mean age of 23.9 (± 6.3 years) indicated a moderate effect of foam-rolling training on ROM increases in the experimental compared to the control group (ES = 0.823; Z = 3.237; 95% CI 0.325–1.322; p = 0.001; I² = 72.76). Subgroup analyses revealed no significant differences between study designs (p = 0.36). However, a significant difference was observed in the intervention duration in favor of interventions > 4 weeks compared to ≤ 4 weeks for ROM increases (p = 0.049). Moreover, a further subgroup analysis showed significant differences between the muscles tested (p = 0.047) in the eligible studies. Foam rolling increased joint ROM when applied to hamstrings and quadriceps, while no improvement in ankle dorsiflexion was observed when foam rolling was applied to triceps surae.

Conclusion

Longer duration interventions (> 4 weeks) are needed to induce ROM gains while there is evidence that responses are muscle or joint specific. Future research should examine possible mechanisms underpinning ROM increases following different foam-rolling protocols, to allow for informed recommendations in healthy and clinical populations.

中文翻译：

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泡沫轴训练对运动范围的影响：系统回顾和荟萃分析

背景

单次泡沫轴运动可以显着增加关节的运动范围 (ROM)。然而，迄今为止，持续数周的泡沫轴训练对关节 ROM 的适应性影响尚不清楚。

客观的

这项荟萃分析的目的是调查泡沫轴训练干预对健康参与者关节 ROM 的影响。

方法

通过应用随机效应荟萃分析，对 11 项研究（对照试验 [CT] 或随机对照试验 [RCT]）和 46 项效应大小的结果进行了评估。此外，通过应用混合效应模型，我们进行了亚组分析，其中包括干预持续时间的比较（≤ 4 周与 > 4 周）、测试肌肉之间的比较（例如，腘绳肌、股四头肌和小腿三头肌），以及研究设计（RCT 与 CT）。

结果

我们对 290 名平均年龄为 23.9（± 6.3 岁）的参与者的主要分析表明，与对照组相比，泡沫轴训练对实验组 ROM 增加的影响适中（ES = 0.823；Z  = 3.237；95% CI 0.325 –1.322；p  = 0.001；I ²  = 72.76）。亚组分析显示研究设计之间没有显着差异 ( p  = 0.36)。然而，在干预持续时间方面观察到显着差异，支持 > 4 周的干预与 ≤ 4 周的 ROM 增加 ( p  = 0.049)。此外，进一步的亚组分析显示测试的肌肉之间存在显着差异（p = 0.047) 在符合条件的研究中。当泡沫轴应用于腘绳肌和股四头肌时，泡沫轴增加了关节的活动度，而泡沫轴应用于小腿三头肌则没有观察到踝关节背屈的改善。

结论

需要更长时间的干预（> 4 周）来诱导 ROM 增益，同时有证据表明反应是肌肉或关节特异性的。未来的研究应该检查在不同的泡沫滚动协议后支撑 ROM 增加的可能机制，以便在健康和临床人群中提供明智的建议。