Foam rolling for recovery: examining Doms reduction in recreational versus competitive athletic populations

Kong, Jona Zong Na (2024) Foam rolling for recovery: examining Doms reduction in recreational versus competitive athletic populations. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Background and Objective: Foam rolling, a type of massage therapy, has shown potential to alleviate delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) induced by intense exercise. However, its effects on recreational versus competitive athletes remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate the effects of foam rolling on DOMS-related pain in recreational and competitive athletes. Methods: A total of 22 participants from UTAR Sg Long campus were recruited. Each participant underwent two conditions—control and foam rolling—separated by four weeks. Both conditions involved a DOMS-inducing protocol of 10 sets of 10 repetitions of back squats at 60% of their one�repetition maximum. Foam rolling was performed immediately, 24-, 48-, and 72-hours post-exercise for a total of 20 minutes, following Hendricks et al. (2019)'s protocol of 30-60 seconds per muscle group per limb for three sets, with 10-30 seconds rest between sets. Results: Independent t-tests were used to compare pain levels between pre�DOMS (0h) and post-exercise (24h, 48h, and 72h). ANOVA determined significant differences in foam rolling effects between recreational and competitive athletes. Foam rolling significantly reduced pain perception in both groups (p < 0.05), with greater benefits observed in competitive athletes, especially within the first 48 hours post-exercise. Conclusion: Foam rolling effectively alleviates DOMS-related pain, with competitive athletes experiencing more pronounced benefits. While foam rolling showed small improvements in jump performance for competitive athletes, no consistent effects were observed on sprint speed or jump performance in recreational athletes. These findings highlight the potential of foam rolling as a recovery tool, particularly for competitive athletes. Keywords: Foam rolling, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), recreational, competitive, athletic performance, magnitude-based inference, massage, pain.

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