Foam Rolling: Could it actually be doing more harm!?

Foam rolling is not a new phenomenon. In physiotherapy terms, foam rolling has been around for a number of years. The precise of foam rolling is that it aids in muscle recovery after DOMS or stiff and tight muscles. Whilst the evidence is evolving with regards to stretching and when to perform these (See earlier blog) I have never suggested to any client to perform foam rolling as part of a treatment program! In February of this year, a group of researchers conducted a study in the efficacy of foam rolling. Monteiro et al. (2017) herein known as the researchers conducted a study on maximum repetition performance when foam rolling between sets, and their findings are well, extraordinary!

The researchers study employed 25 active females to take part in the study. They were split into two groups. One group would perform 60 seconds of foam rolling of the hamstrings (the muscles at the back of the thigh) and the other group were to perform 120 seconds.

The group were asked to perform knee extension exercises and then their foam rolling accordingly. The volunteers had to perform this over 10 days, each allowing 48 hours before performing the exercises again. No other leg exercise throughout this period.

The researchers results identified that foam rolling, not only has no significant difference, they also identified that foam rolling has a detrimental affect on muscle strength endurance. Their evidence identified no change in muscle length following foam rolling! The researchers hypothesis agrees with mine: Foam rolling is always performed sub maximally as it requires additional effort from the participant and is not an efficient method of pain relief or muscle lengthening.

This supports other work from other authors who have investigated similarly with the plank and foam rolling the quadriceps. It has been shown not to alter the length of the quadriceps and have a detrimental impact on their power. However, this was performed on healthy females only. It doesn't take into consideration the effects on males and whether an actual ailment is being suffered. None-the-less, the evidence is clear from the results conducted. Does foam rolling cause more harm than good? To say it does harm, would be harmful in itself. However, the evidence is getting stronger and stronger that it does not alter muscle length and does have a detrimental effect on strength endurance. Therefore, it you have tight muscles from an injury, stretch them. If your muscles are achy, then heat them and allow them to recover. We strongly suggest that you stop foam rolling! If you would like to read the full article, then contact us on the details at the top of the page.