The Acute Effects of Foam Rolling and Dynamic Stretching on Athletic Performance: A Critically Appraised Topic

Abstract

Clinical Scenario: Dynamic stretching and foam rolling are commonly used by athletes to reduce injury and enhance recovery, thereby improving athletic performance. In contrast to dynamic stretching, little research has been conducted on the acute effects of foam rolling as part of the preexercise warm-up routine. Previously, when researchers implemented foam rolling with static stretching as a warm-up, some found that foam rolling slightly improved flexibility and performance outcomes. More recent research has shown that dynamic stretching is favorable to static stretching when used as a warm-up strategy. Therefore, adding foam rolling to dynamic stretching is hypothesized to create more significant improvements in flexibility and performance compared with adding foam rolling to static stretching. Focused Clinical Question: In active individuals, does foam rolling in addition to dynamic stretching lead to enhanced performance compared with dynamic stretching alone? Summary of Key Findings: Four randomized controlled trials were included. Two studies concluded that the addition of foam rolling to dynamic stretching increased vertical jump height more than dynamic stretching alone, while 2 studies found no difference between these treatment groups. Two studies concluded that the addition of foam rolling increased agility performance compared with dynamic stretching alone, while one study found no difference between treatment groups and one study did not measure agility. All 4 studies reviewed concluded that foam rolling did not improve flexibility more than dynamic stretching alone. Clinical Bottom Line: Foam rolling in conjunction with dynamic stretching may further improve an athlete’s agility and power output; however, little improvement has been observed with foam rolling in regard to athlete flexibility when compared with completing dynamic stretching programs alone. Strength of Recommendation: Inconsistent findings from 4 randomized controlled trials suggest there is Grade C evidence to support the inclusion of foam rolling in a dynamic warm-up.

The Accumulated Effects of Foam Rolling Combined with Stretching on Range of Motion and Physical Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The meta-analysis revealed no significant changes between the combined treatment and stretching alone. This is in contrast to the review by Anderson et al (2021), who concluded that foam rolling and dynamic stretching might have a superior effect compared to dynamic stretching alone. The authors reported that two out of four studies found a greater increase in vertical jump height compared to dynamic stretching alone.…”

“…However, it is not clear if the increases in ROM have an accumulated effect when foam rolling and stretching are performed within one training session, compared to foam rolling or stretching alone. Anderson et al (2021) reported in their review only a small additional effect when comparing a combined treatment with foam rolling and dynamic stretching to dynamic stretching alone. However, the authors did not perform a meta-analysis or include the static stretching technique, or consider other muscles than the hamstrings.…”

“…Less information is available on the combined effect of stretching and foam rolling. A recent review (Anderson et al, 2021) compared dynamic stretching to the combined effect of a foam rolling treatment and dynamic stretching of the hamstrings on ROM and performance parameters, and included four studies in their analysis. The authors concluded that the combined treatment had only a slight additional effect on ROM when compared to dynamic stretching alone.…”

“…For performance, two out of the four included studies reported a greater increase in jump height with the combined treatment compared to dynamic stretching alone. Moreover, for agility, two studies (out of the three that assessed agility) reported that the combined effects improved agility to a greater extent than dynamic stretching alone (Anderson et al, 2021). There is therefore some evidence that the combination of foam rolling with dynamic stretching has an accumulative effect on the various parameters (e.g., jump height and agility) compared to dynamic stretching alone.…”

Effect of Different Types of Warm-up on Strength and Skin Temperature of Paralympic Powerlifting Athletes

“…On the other hand, agility tends to be positively impacted by stretching. Dynamic stretching can improve an athlete's power [56].…”