Bachelor's Programme in Exercise Biomedicine, 180 credits

BACHELOR THESIS

The effects of Foam Rolling and Static Stretching

on bilateral forward jumping ability and flexibility
of the hamstrings musculature

Mathias Wrnstrm

Bachelor thesis in Exercise Biomedicine, 15 credits

Halmstad 2016-09-07


TheeffectsofFoamRollingandStatic
Stretchingonbilateralforwardjumping
abilityandflexibilityofthehamstrings
musculature.


MathiasWrnstrm

DateofSubmission:17082016
BachelorThesis15creditsinExerciseBiomedicine
HalmstadUniversity
SchoolofBusiness,EngineeringandScience

ThesisSupervisor:LinaLundgren
ThesisExaminer:AnnBremander

Abstract
Background:Foamrolling(FR)isapromisingnewtrendintheworldofresistancetraining,sportsand
athletics.Itisoftenusedasawarmupactivityasasubstituteoradditionto
stretchingmodalitiessuchasstaticstretching(SS).TheproposedbenefitsbehindFRisthatitcanleadto
bothacuteandchronicincreasesinperformanceandflexibility.

Aim:Theaimofthisstudywastoinvestigatetheeffectsoftwodifferentwarmupinterventionprotocols
ofthehamstringsmusculatureon:1)Performanceinthebilateralstandinglongjump2)Flexibilityina
supineactivekneeextensiontest.

Method:Thestudyconsistedofsixteenmaleparticipantswhowereallhealthyadultrecreationalathletes.
Thetwodifferentinterventionswere,a)StaticStretchingprotocol(SS)andb)aFoamRollingprotocol
(FR).Thesewerecomparedtoabaselinewarmup(BLWU).TheSSconsistedof1x30secondsofactive
SSusingthelyingsupineactivekneeextensionpositionafterashortwarmup.TheFRconsistedof1
boutof30secondsofFRofthehamstringsmusculatureofeachlegafterashortwarmup.BLWU
consistedofashortwarmup(5submaximalbilateralstandinglongjumps).Performancewasmeasured
usingabilateralstandinglongjumptest.Flexibilitywasmeasuredwithagoniometerusingalyingsupine
activekneeextensiontest.Thestudentsttestwasusedtostudydifferencesbetweenandwithingroups
(BLWU,SS,FR)

Results:NodifferencesbetweenBLWUandPostSS(p=0.89)aswellasBLWUcomparedtoPostFR
(p=0.86)wasdetectedforperformance.However,anincreaseinflexibilitywasshownfavoringPostSS
overBLWU(p=0.021)aswellasPostFRoverBLWU(p=0.045).Nosignificantdifferencewasseen
betweenchangesinthePostSSandPostFRgroupsineitherperformanceorflexibility(p=0.887and
p=0.944respectively).

Conclusion:ItseemsthatbothSSandFRaresimilarlyviableandeffectivemethodsforacuteincreases
inflexibilityintheactivekneeextensiontestwithoutsubsequentdecreasesinperformanceofthe
bilateralstandinglongjump.

TableofContents
Background.....3
Warmupactivities.....3
Myofascialrelease.....4
Selfmyofascialrelease.....5
StaticStretching....8
Aim.....9
Researchquestions9
Methods.....9
Participants...9
Studydesign...10
Warmup.11
FoamrollingProtocol.....11
StaticstretchingProtocol...........12
Performance......13
Flexibilitytesting...14
StatisticalAnalysis........14
EthicalandSocialConsiderations.....15
Results.15
Performance...15
Flexibility...16
Discussion16
Resultsdiscussion..16
Methodsdiscussion....19
Conclusion...22
References23
Appendices...29

Background
Warmupactivities
Bothrecreationalandcompetitivesportsoftenusedifferenttypesofwarmuproutineswiththe
purposeofpreparingthebodyforphysicalactivity.Aproperwarmupismeanttopreparethe
bodyandimprovevariablessuchasprimingthenervoussystem,increasebloodflowand
increasebody/muscletemperature.Thesevariablesinturnprovidebenefitssuchasfasterand
morepowerfulmusclecontractions,improvedreactiontime,loweredviscousresistancein
muscleandimprovedoxygendelivery(Baechle&Earle,2008).Itisalsopossiblethataproper
warmupcanreducetheriskofinjury(McArdle,Katch&Katch,2010),Inshort,agoodwarm
upissupposedtopreparetheindividualbothphysicallyandmentallyfortheupcomingtask.
AccordingtoFradkinetal(2010)agoodwarmupshouldincludesometypeofpreparatory
stretchingaswellastoincludeoneormoremovementsthataresimilartotheonethatisgoingto
beperformedafterthewarmup.Thisingeneralbothraisesbodytemperatureandincreases
bloodflow,butisalsomeanttoimprovethespecificcoordination,timingandskillsthatare
requiredforthespecificactivityafterthewarmup.

Someofthemostcommontypesofwarmupactivitiesincludebutarenotlimitedtolow
intensityaerobicactivity,plyometrics,resistancetraining,differenttypesofstretchingand
manualtherapy.Therearealsoseveraldifferentsubbrancheswithineachofthesetypesofwarm
ups.Oneofthemostcommontypesofwarmupwiththegoalofincreasingflexibilityand
performanceisdifferenttypesofstretching,withoneoftheoldestandmostusedonesbeing
staticstretching.However,recentlyvariousformsofmanualtherapyhasbeguntoenterthe
warmupscenecompetingwiththeideaofclassictypesofstretching.Thesenewmodalitiesare
howeverseverelyunderstudiedandwarrantmuchmoreresearch.Oneoftheserathernewforms
ofmanualtherapyisaconceptcalledSelfmyofascialRelease(SMR),orFoamRolling(FR)
whichhasitsrootsintheoldermanualtherapymodalityofMyofascialRelease(MFR).FRhas
beengaininggreatmomentumduringtherecentyearsduetoitseaseofuseandpropositionsof
benefitssimilartoorevenbetterthanthatofstaticstretching.However,thesepropositionsare

notevidencebasedandthishasnotyetbeenconcludedbystudies,hencefurtherresearchis
neededtoinvestigateifFRcanliveuptotheseclaims.

MyofascialRelease
Theskeletalmusclesaresurroundedbymanylayersofconnectivetissue,calledfascia,thefascia
governanddividethemuscleintodifferentdepartments.Thefasciacanbefoundboth
surroundingthemusclebelliesandinsidethemuscles,eventothepointofseparatingindividual
musclefibersfromeachother(McArdle,Katch&Katch,2010).Fasciaisalargecomponentof
theskeletalmusclesystemandfunctionsinterconnectedwiththemuscles.MyofascialReleaseis
amethodwherebyamanualtherapist,usingvariousmassagemodalities,provideamassaging
pressureonanotherindividualsmuscles.MFRhasbeenclaimedtoreduceoreliminatefibrous
adhesionsbetweenthedifferentlayersofthefascia.However,theseclaimsarenotevidence
basedandaccordingtocurrentresearchthemechanismsbehindMFRisatthispointnotyetfully
understood.ThesesuggestionsthatMFRandSMRexerttheireffectsviamechanicalalteringof
thefascialstructureseemunlikelyaccordingtoresearch.Forinstance,ithasbeenfoundthatfor
theplantarfasciaandfascialata,pressuresoutsideofthenormalphysicalrangeisneededto
achieveeven1%ofshearandcompressionintheareausingMFR(Chaudhryetal,2008).
Consideringthis,itisthereforepossiblethataneurologicalexplanationismoreplausible.Oneof
thecurrentleadingproposedneurologicalexplanationsbehindthemechanismsofMFRand
SMRisthatitinpartworksviaproprioceptivestimulation.Thismeansthatthereislikelytobe
occurringatransientdownregulationofthesympatheticnervoussystemandneuraltoneinthe
muscleviatheapplicationofpressureonpressuresensitivemechanoreceptorslocatedinsidethe
fasciaandepimysiumsurroundingthemuscle.Thisreductioninneuraltoneinturnallowsfor
acutelygreaterextensibilityoftissueandlessinhibitionofjointrangeofmotionafterMFRand
SMR(Simmondsetal,2012.,MartnezRodrguezandGalndelRo,2013.,Schleip,2003).

AnotherplausiblemechanismastohowMFRandSMRmightexcerpttheirbenefitsisvia
alteringthewatersaturationofthefascia.ThefirstonetoinvestigatethistheorywasKlingeret
al.(2004),heshowedthatthestiffnessofthefasciacouldinpartbeexplainedbyitswater

content.Whenthefasciawascomprisedbypressure,waterwasextrudedfromthefasciaand
resultinginmorepliablefascialtissue.In2012Schleipetal.lentsupporttothedataofKlingeret
al.Itwasshownthatafewhoursafterextrusionfromthefascia,thewaterreturnedinhigher
amountsthanpreviously.Thisresultedinstiffertissuethanpreviouslyandcanbeviewedasa
supercompensationofwatercontentinsidethefascia.Thetimeelapsedbetweenextrusionand
refluxofwateristhereforeofgreatinterestsinceitmightresultinmorepliablefascialtissueand
increasedflexibilityduringthisperiod.Thisperiodoftimebetweenextrusionandrefluxofwater
canbedescribedasandhasbeentermedasawindowofopportunityforincreasedmobility
andflexibility(Schleipetal.2012).

SelfMyofascialRelease
Selfmyofascialrelease(SMR),alsocommonlyreferredtoasFoamRolling(FR),isanemerging
newtrendinthefitnessindustry.Wherebyanindividualusesadevicecalledafoamrollerto
selfmassagetheirmuscles.Itisaformofmanualtherapybutwithouttheneedforamanual
therapisttoassisttheindividual.Foamrollinghasbeenpopularizedbymanystrengthand
conditioningprofessionalsduringrecentyearsasatoolforincreasesinbothflexibilityand
varioustypesofsportperformance.Suchclaimshavebeenmostlybasedonanecdotesandnot
actualresearch.However,asoflatetheresearchhasbeguntocatchupwithsaidtheoriesandhas
supportedseveraloftheseclaims.Forinstance,Mcdonaldetal.(2013)demonstratedthata
protocoloftwo1minuteboutsofFRofthequadricepsacutelyincreasedkneeextensionrange
ofmotioninactivemalestudentswithrecreationalexperienceinresistancetraining.Addingto
this,bothJayetal.(2014)andSullivanetal.(2013) showedthat10minutesand510seconds
respectivelyofFRofthehamstringsacutelyincreasedflexibilityinthesitandreachtestfor
healthyanduntrainedmales.However,incontrasttothis,Howeetal.(2013)andRoylanceetal.
(2013)bothfailedtofindanysignificantchangeforthehamstringsinthesitandreachtestfor
10physicallyactiveadultsand27universitystudentsrespectively.ThetimeallocatedtoFRin
thesetwostudiesweretwoboutsof30secondsinHowesstudyand2minutesinthatof
Roylances.

Onlyfivestudieslookingatchronicflexibilityadaptationswereidentified,withmostofthem
investigatingthehamstrings.Miller&Rockey(2006)withthehelpof23collegeagedstudents
testedkneeextensionrangeofmotionandfoundnosignificantchange.Theprotocolconsistedof
usingan8weekperiodwheretheparticipantsperformedFRofthehamstrings3timesperweek
for3boutsof1minute.Bushell,Dawson&Webster(2015)usedaslightlydifferentprotocolbut
stilldemonstratednosignificantchanges.Inthatstudyhipextensionwasmeasuredfor31
physicallyactivesubjects.Thetimeperiodforthatstudywas1weeklong.Thatstudyalsoused
the3boutsof1minuteofFR,hereforatotalof9timesduringthestudy.

ThreestudieslendcredencetoFRresultinginchronicchangesinflexibility(Junker&Stggl,
2015.Mohr,Long&Goad,2014,.Ebrahim&Elghany,2013).InJunkersstudya
standandreachtestwith40healthymaleswasused,3sessionsperweekfor4weeks,eachtime
with1boutof3040seconds.Mohrsstudyusedpassivehipflexionof40subjectsasthe
measurement,withtheinclusioncriteriaof<90degreesofpassivehipflexion.Theprotocol
consistedof3sessionsperweekfor2weekswith3boutsof1minuteeachtime.Ebrahims
studyusedthestandardsitandreachtestwith14physicaleducationstudentswiththeinclusion
criteriaofpriorhamstringinjury.Thisstudylasted3weekswith4sessionsperweekwith2030
minutesofFRperformedeachtime.AllthreestudiescitedaboveusedFRofthehamstrings
musculatureandshowedsignificantincreasesinflexibility.

AnumberofstudieshasinvestigatedFRanditseffectsonperformance.InastudybyPeacock
(2014)itwasshownthat1boutof30secondsofFRof6differentmusclegroupsincreasedthe
verticaljump,sprinttime,standinglongjumpand1RMbenchpressof11maleathletes.In
contrasttothis,bothSullivanetal.(2013)protocolof10minutesand510secondsrespectively
ofFRofthehamstringsaswellasHealys(2014)1boutof30secondsFRof5differentmuscle
groupsfor26collegeagedmenandwomenshowednosignificantimpactonperformanceinthe
verticaljump.ThesamelackofchangewasalsoobservedbyMikeskyetal.(2002)who
investigatedtheeffectofFRonperformanceintheverticaljumpfor30collegeathletes.Adding

tothis,arecentstudybyBehara(2015)investigatedpeakverticaljumpingpowerusing14
NCAADivisionIlinemen.Thelinemenwasinstructedtoperform8minutesofFR,which
showednosignificanteffectsonpeakverticaljumpingpower.

ThereisoverallascarcityofstudiesconductedonFRinvestigatingflexibilityand/or
performancecomparedtodifferenttypesofstretching.Themajorityofstudies,whichagainare
few,hasfoundthatwheninvestigatingFRandflexibilityitsuggeststhatitoftenhasapositive
effect,butthishasnotyetbeenconcluded.ThehandfulofstudiesinvestigatingFRseffectson
performancealmostconclusivelyshowsnochange,anditappearsnottohaveanyadverse
effects.Consideringthelimitednumberofstudiescoupledwiththepossiblebenefitsfroma
physiologicaltheorystandpointaswellastheanecdotalexperiencesofathletesandcoaches,this
isstillanareaworthexploringfurther.Additionally,benefitsthatmightindirectlyaffectabove
variableshasalsobeennoted.Forexampleimprovedendothelialfunctionandreducedarterial
stiffnessafterSMRwasobservedinastudybyOkamotoetal(2013).Thischangewasobserved
insedentarybuthealthysubjects.Thishowever,hasnotyetbeeninvestigatedinathletes.
ConsideringthepotentialbenefitsofFRonperformanceandflexibilityalone,itispossiblethat
FRmayhaveimportantapplicationsfortheworldofsportsandathletics.IfFRcouldprovide
anysuchbenefittoathletes,beitacuteorchronic,thiswouldbevaluableknowledge.Ifthe
expandedbodyofevidenceonFRinsteadwouldindicatethatitdoesnothingforperformanceor
flexibility,orevendecreasesit,onecouldstartconsideringexcludingsomeofthetimeusedfor
FRandallocatingittomoreproductiveandverifiedmethodsforincreasingflexibilityand
performance.BecauseithasbeenshownthatFRofonemusclegroupmightbeenoughto
excerptbenefitsinflexibility(Macdonaldetal,2013),thisstudyusedaprotocolofFRofonly
thehamstringsmusculature.Ithasalsobeenshownthat1setof30secondsmightbeenoughfor
eachmusclegroupforincreasesinflexibility(Junker&Stggl,2015),hencethisstudyuseda
protocolof1x30secondsofFRoneachleg.IthasalsobeenshownbybothSullivanetal.
(2013)andbyBradburySquiresetal.(2014)thattheredoesnotappeartobeadosedependant
relationshipbetweentimeallocatedtoFRandgainsinflexibilityand/orperformance.

StaticStretching
ComparedtoFR,Staticstretching(SS)isanolder,moreresearchedandmorecommonmodality
withthepurposeofincreasingflexibilityandperformance.SSisdonewherebyanindividual
staticallyholdsamuscleinastretchedpositionforaprolongedamountoftime.Thismodalityof
stretchingisoftenusedincombinationwithphysicalactivity.SShasbeenrepeatedlybeen
showntoyieldincreasesinflexibility.Forexample,astudybyBandy,Irion&Briggler(1998)
showedthatsignificantincreasesinflexibilitycanbeachievedbyaslittleas30secondsofSS
perday.Also,reviewsbyDecosteretal.(2005)andRadfordetal.(2006)supportthatSSisan
effectivemethodforincreasesinjointrangeofmotion.However,apotentialissuewithSSin
particularisthatithasalsobeenshownthatSSpriortoexplosiveand/orforceproductionbased
activitiesmayhamperathleticperformance(Behm&Chaouachi,2011.,Kay&Blazevich,
2012.,Simicetal.2013.,Kallerud&Gleeson,2013)Itmaybethatthesereductionsin
performanceareonlyofgreatimportancewhenthestretchesareheldfor>60seconds,asshown
inthesystematicreviewbyKay&Blazevich(2012).Stretchinghaspreviouslybeenthoughtto
resultinincreasedflexibilitybymechanicalandstructuralalteringofthetissue,muchlikeithas
beensuggestedthesameaboutFR.However,whenstudiesinvestigatingthishavebeen
conductednosuchtracesofevidencehasbeenfound.Onthecontraryitseemsthat,justlikewith
FR,aneurologicalexplanationismorelikely.InastudybyWeppler&Magnusson(2010)itwas
discoveredthatnostructuralchangesintissueofthestretchedareacouldbefoundalongsidethe
observedincreasesinflexibility.Itwasalsonotedthatparticipantsexperiencedpainand
discomfortlateronintherangeofmotionwhenperformingthestretchaftertheintervention.
Theseobservationssupportthehypothesisthattheprimarymechanismleadingtoincreased
flexibilityfromstretchingismostlikelyachangeinsensationviaanincreaseinpainandstretch
tolerancefromthenervoussystem.

GiventhatFRofonemusclegroupmaybeenoughtoimproveflexibilityand/orperformance,it
wouldbemostvaluabletoconductastudycomparingFRofasingletargetedmusclegroup
versusthemorecommonapproachofstaticstretching.AsSSprotocolsaremorecommonlyused

butmayyielddecreasesinperformance,thiswillbechosenforthecomparisoninorderofwhich
tocollectdatatoaddtotheexistingbodyofevidence.IfFRcouldyieldsimilarincreasesin
rangeofmotiontoSSbutwithoutthesubsequentdeclineinperformance,thiswouldbevaluable
knowledgeforcoachesandathletesseekingbetterflexibilityandperformance.

Aim
Theaimofthisstudywastocomparetheeffectoffoamrollingvs.staticstretchingon
performanceandflexibilityinmalerecreationalathletes.

Researchquestions:
1) Howdoesaddingafoamrollingintervention(FR)orastaticstretchingintervention(SS)
tothewarmuproutineaffectperformanceinthebilateralstandinglongjumpcompared
toonlyabaselinewarmup(BLWU)?
2) Howdoesaaddingafoamrollingintervention(FR)orastaticstretchingintervention
(SS)tothewarmuproutineaffectflexibilityinasupinelyingactivekneeextensiontest
comparedtoonlyabaselinewarmup(BLWU)?

Methods
Participants
Sixteenmaleparticipantspartookinthisstudy,whowereallrecruitedfromthelocalgym.The
studywasbasedonhealthyrecreationalathleteswhoexerciseonaregularbasis.The
participationinclusioncriteriawereasfollows:activelifestyle(performingsportsorresistance
training3+timesperweek),1840yearsold,nocurrentinjuriesandthattheycouldperformthe
bilaterallongjumppainfree.

Theaverageage,weightandheightoftheparticipantswas233years,74.38kgand176.6
5.8cmrespectively.

Studydesign
Arandomizedcontrolledstudywasconductedwherebyeachparticipantservedastheirown
controlgroup.Theparticipantsfirstmetwiththetestleaderduringoneoccasiontoperformthe
baselinetesting.FollowingtheBLWUof5submaximalbilateralstandinglongjumps,baseline
measurementsforflexibilityweretakenoftheirrightleg.Afterwhichthebaselinemeasurements
forthemaximalbilateralstandinglongjumpswerecollected.Theparticipantswerethenasked
tomeetwiththetestleaderatonemoreoccasion.Atthesecondoccasion,aftertheBLWUthe
participantswererandomlyassignedto1of2groupsusinglotteryrandomization.Onegroup
performedSSofthehamstrings(n=8)whiletheothergroupperformedFRofthehamstrings
(n=8).Afterwhichmeasurementswereagaintakenofflexibilityfollowedbythatof
performance.AflowchartofthestudydesigncanbeseenbelowinFigure1.

Figure1.Aflowchartofthestudydesignusedwitheachparticipantservingastheironcontrol.

Warmup
Thebaselinewarmupprotocolusedconsistedofperforming5submaximalbilateralstanding
longjumps.Thiswiththeintentionofprimingthenervoussystemandincreasingvariablessuch

10


asbodytemperature,performancespecificity,coordinationandbloodflowtotheaffectedarea
(Baechle&Earle,2008).

FoamrollingProtocol
Theprotocolusedwas1x30secondsofFRoftheentirehamstringofeachleg.Theparticipants
wereinstructedtofocusontheareabetweentheposterioraspectofthekneeandthegluteus
musculature..Theywerealsoinstructedthatalthoughtheyshouldrollinacarefulandcontrolled
manners,amilddiscomfortshouldbefeltinthetargetedarea,andaccordingtothisselfselect
thepressure.AfoamrollerofthetypeThegridwasused.Thesetupusedfortherollingaswell
asthefoamrollercanbeseeninbelowFigure2andFigure3.

Figure2.Aboveshowsthepositionusedforthefoamrollingprotocolofthehamstrings.

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Figure3.FoamrollerTheGrid

StaticStretchingProtocol
AnactivestaticstretchingprotocolwasborrowedfromastudybyWilliamD.Bandy(1998).
Thisbeing30secondsofstaticstretchingofthehamstrings.Theunilateralstretchwasdoneina
supinepositionwithactivekneeextensionwhilethefemurwaspositionedat90degreesrelative
tothetorso,seefigure4below.Thestretchcomponentofthepositionwasachievedbyactive
contractionoftheantagonistmusculature,meaningactivekneeextensioncoupledwith
reciprocalmuscleinhibitionofthehamstrings.Activestaticstretchingwaschoseninthis
positionduetoreciprocalmuscleinhibitionmentionedabove,itseaseofuse(asopposedto
usingadoorframeorsuch),aswellastothenatureofthetestitself.Withoutanactive
contractionoftheantagonistinthispositionitwouldlikelybetoolittletensiononthehamstrings
formostpeopletoexperienceastretchingsensationinthisposition.Tolimitspinalandpelvic
movementaswellastoensurethatitwastheposterioraspectofthelegbeingstretched

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participantsweremonitoredandinstructedtokeepthelowerbackinfullcontactwiththefloorat
alltimesduringthestretch.

Figure4.aboveshowsthestaticstretchingpositionaswellastheactivekneeextensiontestusedforboththe
stretchingprotocolandtheflexibilitytesting.

Performancetesting
Toassesstheeffectsonperformance,abilateralstandinglongjumpwasusedduetothedistance
jumpedinastandinglongjumphasbeenshowntohavestrongcorrelationswithexplosive
power(MarkovicG,2004).Thetestingconsistedof3standinglongjumpsongrasssurface
alongsideafixedmeasuringtape,ofwhichtheaveragejumpinglengthofthe3wasusedforthe
calculations.Eachjumpwasseparatedby3minutesofrestinbetweenastoregeneratethe

13


energysystemsused(Baechle&Earle,2008).Afailedmaximaljumpattemptwasdefinedasif
thatindividualsmaximaljumpattemptwasshorterthanthatoftheirlongestsubmaximalwarm
upjumpinthatsametestoccasion.Inwhichcasetheywereinstructedtorestforanother3
minutesandtryagain.

Flexibilitytesting
LikethatinthestudybyMiller&Rockey(2006)andWilliamD.Bandy(1998)asupine
activekneeextensiontestwasusedtoassesstheeffectsonflexibility.Amanualgoniometerwas
usedandplacedatthejointspaceofthetibiaandfemur.Usingamanualgoniometerhasbeen
showntohavehightestretestreliabilityinunskilledexaminerseveninbiggerandmore
complexjoinslikethehipandshoulder(Kim&Kim,2016).Theangleandrangeofmotionof
thetibiawasthenmeasuredmeanwhiletheparticipantactivelyextendedtheirkneewhilethetest
leadermadesurethehipoftheextendedlegremainedat90degrees.Thistestusesthesame
positionasthestudybyWilliamD.Bandy(1998)andthatcanbeseenaboveinFigure4.Ascan
beseenabove,thepassivelegwasbentandslightlyflexedtoassistinmaintainingpelvic
positionandthelowerbackinfullcontactwiththeground.Theonlydifferencebetweenthe
stretchingpositionandtheflexibilitytestingwastheuseofagoniometerastoquantifytheangle
andrangeofmotionbetweenthefemurandtibiaasthelowerlegwasextended.Thistesthas
beenshowntohavebothhighreliabilityandvalidityinmeasuringrangeofmotioninhamstrings
(GajdosikR,1983.,DavisDSetal,2008.Miller&Rockey,2006).

StatisticalAnalysis
ShapiroWilkstestswerecarriedouttoinvestigatethedistributionofdata.Anormaldistribution
wasshownwithregardstop>0.05.SincethecomparisonsbetweenBLWUandPostSSaswell
asbetweenBLWUandPostFRwasdonewithregardstodifferencesbetweenthesame
individual,pairedttestswereusedfortheanalysis.Whencomparingthechangesbetween
PostSSandPostFRgroupstoeachotheranindependentttestwasused.Meanvaluesalong

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withstandarddeviationswereusedfortheanalysisandcalculationswhichwereperformedin
IBMSPSSv.20.0(SPSSInc.,Chicago,IL,USA).Asignificancelevelofp0.05waschosenfor
theresultsanalysis.

EthicalandSocialConsiderations
Eachandeveryparticipantwasbothverballyandviaawritteninformationletterinformedabout
howthetestingwouldbecarriedoutandhowthedatawouldbeused.Aswellasthattheir
privacywouldbemaintainedandthattheycouldquitthestudyatanymomentwithoutgivinga
reason.EveryparticipantthengavetheirconsentbysigningtheInformedConsentpaper(see
appendix1).Alldatawashandledwithconfidentialityandinaccordancewiththeethical
guidelinesprovidedbyCODEX(2002).

Oursocietyisbecomingincreasinglyinterestedinthehealthbenefitsofphysicalactivity,with
morepeoplesigningupforgymsandpersonaltrainingeveryday.Itisthereforeimportantto
knowwhichmodalitiestousetoachievethebestresultsforbothathletesandtheaverage
recreationalexerciseenthusiast.Ifsomethingassimpleandcheapasfoamrollingcanbeprove
tobeaneffectivemethodtouseforincreasedflexibilityand/orperformancethiswouldbemost
helpfulinassistingpeople,beitathletesorrecreationalathletes,achievetheiractivityrelated
goalsinasaneffectiveandtimeefficientmanneraspossible.

Results
Performance
Asshownintable1,neitherSS(p=0.887)norFR(p=0.860)didprovideanystatistically
significantchangescomparedtotheirrespectiveBLWU.Also,nostatisticallysignificant
differencewasdetectedwhencomparingchangesbetweentheSSandFRgroups(p=0.887).

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Table1.ComparisonforthetwodifferentgroupsofSSandFRwiththeirrespectiveBLWUwithregardsto
Distancejumpedincmandflexibilityindegrees.AllvaluesareshownasthemeanSD

StaticStretching(SS) FoamRolling(FR)
(n=8) (n=8)

BLWU PostSS pvalue BLWU PostFR pvalue

Jumps(cm) 20618.4 205.816.8 0.89 199.518.8 199.319.5 0.86

Flexibility
(degrees) 147.49.6 150.810.6 0.021 149.68 152.99.2 0.045

Flexibility
Asshownintable1,bothSS(p=0.021)andFR(p=0.045)wereabletoyieldsmallbut
statisticallysignificantincreasesovertheirrespectiveBLWUinflexibilityofthehamstringsina
lyingsupineactivekneeextensiontest.However,nostatisticallysignificantdifferencewas
detectedwhencomparingchangesbetweentheSSandFRgroups(p=0.944).

Discussion
Resultsdiscussion
InthisstudyinvestigatingaprotocolofFRorSScomparedtoaBLWU,itappearsthatfromthe
datacollectedeither30secondsofFRorSSofthehamstringsareequallyaseffectivemodalities
touseforincreasedacuteflexibilitywithoutreductionsinperformance.

TheSSgroupincluded30secondsofSS,whichmightnotbepastthecriticaltimepointwhereby
performanceisaffectedtoasignificantdegree.ThisinpartcanpotentiallyexplainthatbothFR
andSSyieldedsimilarresults.ItispossiblethatifusinglongerdurationsofFRandSS(>60
seconds)thenegativeeffectsofSSonjumpingmightcometolightashasbeenshownin

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previousstudies(Kay&Blazevich,2012).Consideringthatoverallnosuchnegative
associationsbetweenFRandtimespentrollinghasbeenshown,itisplausiblethattheresults
wouldstarttofavourFRoverSSthelongerthestretchisbeingperformed.

FRandSSwereabletoyieldstatisticallysignificantincreasesinacuteflexibilitywithout
decreasesinperformance.Theseresultsareinagreementwithmostoftheresearch(Behara,
2015.,Sullivan,2013,.Macdonald,2013,.Jay,2014.,Healy,2014.,Grieveetal,2015,.Janotet
al,2013.,Bushell2015).ResearchonFRandflexibilityisnotyetconclusivebutwiththe
majorityofstudiesleaningtowardsthatitdoesyieldsignificantincreases.Asforthatresearchon
performanceeverystudythatwasidentified,exceptforonebyPeacock(2014)foundthatFR
doesnotdecreasenorincreaseperformance.

Mikesky(2002)usedFRofthehamstringsandinvestigatedperformanceinverticaljump,
sprintingandkneeextensionforce.Hefailedtofindanysignificantchangesinanyperformance
variables.InthestudybyBehara(2015)performanceinvariousathleticactivitiesinDivision1
offensivelinemen.Verticaljumppeakpower/velocityaswellasisometrickneeflexionand
extensiontorqueswasmeasuredasperformancevariablesandshowednochanges.Sullivan
(2013)alsonotednochangeinperformancewhenmeasuringisometrickneeflexionforceafter
FRofthehamstrings.Janotetal.(2013)foundthat3setsof30secondsFRof7differentmuscle
groupshadnoeffectonpeakpoweroutputinaWingatetest.Healy(2014)investigatedFRs
effectonverticaljumpheightandpoweroutputusing1setof30secondsFRof5different
musclegroups.Again,Healysstudyalsofailedtofindanysignificantchanges.Onlyone
studysresultsonperformanceconflictswiththefindingsfromthisstudy,theonebyPeacock
(2014),whichdidshowsignificantincreasesinperformancein1RMbenchpress,37msprint,
standinglongjumpandverticaljump.

ThemajorityofstudiesinvestigatingacuteflexibilityafteraboutofFRalsosupporttheresults
fromthisstudy.Behara(2015)measuredsupinepassivehipflexioninDivision1offensive

17


linemenandfoundthatacuteflexibilitydidshowasignificantincrease.BothMacDonald(2013)
andSullivan(2013)foundincreasesinacuteflexibilityintheirrespectivestudieswhenFRwas
performedonthequadricepsinMacdonaldsstudyandthehamstringsinSullivansstudy.In
additiontothese,twostudiesfoundthatflexibilityimprovedinthesitandreachtestwhenFR
wasperformedofthehamstringsinastudybyJay(2014)andthesoleofthefeetinthatof
Grieveetal.(2015)inhealthybutuntrainedmalesandfemales.

Mikesky(2002)investigatedflexibilityafteraboutofFRintheactivestraightlegraiseand
failedtofindanysignificantchangesinflexibility.Roylance(2013)usingthesitandreachtest,
foundnochangeinacuteflexibilitywith2minutesofFRofseveraldifferentmusclegroupsin
thelowerbody.Roylancesstudyuseduniversitystudentswhowerenotphysicallyactiveand
wouldnotbeconsideredrecreationalathletes.ThestudybyPeacock(2014)alsousedthe
sitandreachtest,buthoweverhereonlyinmaleathletes.Peacocksstudyshowednosignificant
changeinacuteflexibilitywith1boutof30secondsofFRover6differentmusclegroups.Of
greatinterestisthestudybyHowe(2013),whichjustlikethisstudy,alsoinvestigatedSS
comparedtoFRusingtwoboutsof30secondsonphysicallyactivestudentsandfailedtofind
anysignificantchangesineithergroup.HoweverHowesstudyusedasitandreachtest
comparedtotheactivekneeextensionusedinthisstudy,thismightbepartoftheexplanation
fordifferentresults.

ThemajorityofresearchonFRwithregardstoflexibilityandperformancepointstowards
increasesinflexibilitywithoutsubsequentdecreasesorincreasesinvarioustypesofathletic
performance.Itispossiblethatthetimeandintensityneededforsignificantresultsineither
flexibilityorperformancemightbetaskandmusclespecific.Itisthereforepossiblethatalonger
durationthan30secondsisneededforthehamstringsmuscletoshow,forexample,anypotential
increasesinperformance.

Thisstudy,justlikethemajorityofthebodyofevidencesofar,indicatesthatsignificant
increasesinacuteflexibilitycanbeachievedwithFRwithoutreductionsinperformance.Since

18


SSisapotentmodalityforincreasesinflexibilitybuthasthepotentialtointerferewith
performanceduringlongerdurations(>60seconds),thisiswhereFRmighthavethepotentialto
replaceorcomplementSSasabetterwarmuppractice.

MethodDiscussion
Thereareseverallimitationstothestudymethodologythatneedstobeaddressedbeforejumping
toconclusions.Forexample,astandingbilaterallongjumpiscommonlyperformedonasand
surface,thismakesforbothasofterlandingandeasiertomeasuretheexactpointofcontactat
landing.Thisstudy,duetonothavingaccesstoasandbox,usedagrassfieldsurface.Thismight
haveaffectedtheresultsmainlybytwovariables.Thefirstonebeingthattheparticipantsmight
havefounditmorecomfortabletogoalloutinasandboxwheretheimpactwouldbeless
whenlanding,andhencedidnotfeeltheycouldjumpwithmaximumeffortongrasssurface.
Second,eventhoughcarefulmeasuringwithbothmeasuringtapeandarulerwasused,grass
doesnotleavethesameexactpositionofimpactassanddoes.Thismakingmeasurementerrors
morelikelythanifasandsurfacehadbeenusedinstead.Inhindsightitwouldhavebeenagood
ideatocomplementthedirectmeasuringaspectwithavideorecordingthatcouldthenbe
analyzedusingcomputersoftware.

Clearlytherearealsohugedifferencesinpressureandpaintolerancesamongindividuals,for
thispurposefoamrollerscomeinmanyshapes,sizesandmaterials.Itmightbeunwisetoexpect
thesameresultsforallparticipantsusingonespecifictypeoffoamrollerforeveryone.Perhaps
sometypeofsubjectivemethodofperceivedpressureand/orpainshouldbeusedtoselectthe
righttypeoffoamrollerpriortotheconductionofastudy.Thishoweverintroducesthequestion
ofhowthatperceivedpressureandpaincorrelateswithpositiveresults,andquestionslikewhat
theoptimalpressuremightbearisesaswell.Perhapsthatisalsomusclespecific,oroutcome
specificandmaybeevenindividualspecific.

19


Italsoispossiblethatthestretchingcomponentoftherangeofmotiontestinginfluencedthe
followingjumptests.ThereforeitishardtosaywithcertaintythatitwassolelytheFRsand/or
stretchingseffectsthatwereobservedinthepostSSandpostFRtests.Asstatedearlierithas
previouslybeenshownthatexcessivestaticstretchingbeforeanactivityrequiringmaximal
powerhasthepotentialtonegativelyimpactperformance.Onecouldthereforearguethatthe
extrastretchingtimeprovidedbytheflexibilitytestingshouldbeseenasadditionaltime
performingastaticstretch.Whichormayormaynothavecontributedtoreachingacritical
thresholdoftimespentstretchingtothenaffectthejumpresults.

AsshowninastudybyPaziraetal.(2016),usingagoniometertomeasureanglesduring
movementisanacceptablebutnotperfectwayofmeasuring.Therearecertainlimitations
inherenttousingthispieceofequipment.Forexample,itissometimeshardtomaintaintheexact
positionofthegoniometeralongsidethesegmentsofbonethatisbeingmeasuredthroughoutthe
entirerangeofmotion.Thisresultinginthatthegoniometermightmoveseveralmillimeters,or
evencentimetersinworstcasescenario.Also,especiallyformorecomplexjointstheaxisof
rotationisnotalwayseasytofindandmaintainduringthemotion,whichagaincontributesto
potentialerrors.Inhindsightagain,itmighthavebeengoodtocomplementthemanual
goniometermeasurementswithothermeansofmeasuring.

Also,byusingamechanicalgoniometeronemustconsiderthemeasurementerrorsinherentto
thispieceofequipment.InthestudybyPaziraetal(2016)itwasshownthatmeasurementerrors
forthemechanicalgoniometerwasashighas16.33and4.40degreesformeasurementsofthe
hipandshoulderjointsrespectively.Thisstudymeasuredthekneejoint,andsincethekneejoint
isalesscomplexjointthanthatofthehipandshoulder,itispossiblethatthemeasurementerror
mightbeless.Theimplicationsofthisishoweverthatthemeasurementerrorofthemechanical
goniometerneedstobetakenintoaccount.Ifthemeasurementerrorexceedsthemeasured
changeinflexibilityitisimpossibletodrawconclusionsofimprovedflexibilityfromthestudy
athand.

20


Scanningtheliteratureitseemsthattwoofthemostcommonsflexibilitytestsusedfor
measuringrangeofmotioninthehamstringsarethesitandreachtestaswellasthe
activekneeextensiontest.Moststudieswheninvestigatingfoamrollingandhamstrings
flexibilityusethesitandreachtest.Thistestisquitedifferentfromtheactivekneeextension
testusedinthisstudy.Thereasonfordiscardingthesitandreachtestwasthatinitiallyit
appearsthatitmightbeasubpartestduetoitbeingverydifficulttocontrolforspinalflexion
duringthistest.Thereforeitispossiblethatincreasedrangeofmotionachievedduringthistest
mightbeafunctionofincreasedspinalflexionratherthanincreasedhamstringflexibility.
However,ifoneassumesthatFRofthehamstringshasnoeffectonspinalflexion,whichagain
isnotcertain,thenthistestmightbeaneasierandpossiblymoreviablewayoftestinghamstring
length.Astoregardstothepreviousstatement,thefascialstructurerunsacrosstheentirebody
andisallinterconnectedandshouldbeviewedmorelikeabodywideproprioceptiveorgan
(Benjamin,2009).Itisthereforepossiblethatrelaxationoftheposteriorfasciainthehamstrings
mightaffectthefascialstructurefurtherupanddownthefascialchain,thisincludingthefascia
interconnectedwiththebackmusculature.ThisisalsosuggestedbythestudyofGrieveetal.
(2015)wherebyFRofthesoleofthefeetresultedinincreasedrangeofmotionofthe
hamstrings.

Acasecanbemadethatlearningeffectenteredtheequationfortheflexibilitytestingforthe
groupthatperformedSS.Thisbecausethestretchingpositionandthetestpositionwasthevery
same.ThereasonforusingthisapproachwasfoundinthestudybyWilliamD.Bandy(1998)
wheretheactivekneeextensionpositionwasusedbothasastretchingprotocolaswellasatest
toevaluatethepotentialincreasesinrangeofmotion.Again,itispossiblethatbylearning
effects,theresultsforthepostSSgroupyieldedachangeinrangeofmotionthatmightormight
nothavebeenseentothesamemagnitudeinforasitandreachtest.

21


Conclusion
SSnorFRprovidedanymeasureablechangesinperformanceinthebilateralstandinglongjump
comparedtoaBLWU.However,bothSSandFRyieldedstatisticallysignificantincreasesin
rangeofmotionintheactivekneeextensiontestcomparedtoBLWU.
Accordingtothisstudy,bothSSandFRaresimilarlyviableandeffectivemethodsforacute
increasesinflexibilityintheactivekneeextensiontestwithoutdecreasingperformanceinthe
bilateralstandinglongjump.Futurestudiesshouldfocusonattainingalargergroupof
participantsandtoincludemoreaccuratemethodsofmeasuring.

22


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28


Appendix1:Informedconsent

InformationsbrevtilldeltagarefrkandidatuppsatsinomBiomedicin

MittnamnrMathiasWrnstrmochjagstuderarBiomedicinphgskolaniHalmstad.Under
slutfasenavminutbildningutfrvarjestudentenvetenskapligstudiesomsedanpresenterasp
hgskolanibdemuntligochskriftligform.

DettapapperrettinformationsbrevtillminkandidatuppsatsinomBiomedicinmedinriktning
fysisktrning.

Syftetmeddennastudierattunderskaskillnadermellanfoamrollingochstatiskstretchingav
baksidalrmedhnsyntilldesseffektpprestationistendelngdhoppochflexibiliteti
muskulaturenavbaksidalr.Medverkanidennastudieinnebrattdutrffarmigvidtv(2)
tillfllenfrattutfraenserieavuppvrmning,foamrolling,stretchingochlngdhoppenligt
nedanstendebeskrivning.

Tillflle1:
Uppvrmning
Testavflexibilitetfrbaksidalr
Testavprestationistendelnghopp

Tillflle2:
Uppvrmning
Foamrollingellerstatiskstretchingavbaksidalr
Testavflexibilitetfrbaksidalr
Testavprestationistendelngdhopp

29


Uppvrmningenbestrav5styckensubmaximalalngdhopp.Flexibilitetstestetutfrsgenomatt
duliggerpryggpmarkenmedenafotenigolvetochandrafoteniluften,sedankommerjag
attbedigattstrckautbenetsomriluftensamtidigtsomjagmtervinkelnidittkn.

Testetavprestationilngdhoppinnebrattdugr3styckenmaximalalngdhoppmed3
minutersvilamellanvarjehopp.

Denstatiskastretchingenkommerattgtillgenomattdu,precissomiflexibilitetstestet,ligger
pryggmedenafotenimarkenochandrailuften.Sedan,liktitestet,kommerjagattbedig
strckautbenetiluften,endaskillnadenrattdennagngenskallduhlladennaposition
(stretch)i30sekunder.

Foamrollingenkommerattgtillgenomjagplacerarenfoamrollerunderdittenabennrdu
sitterpgolvet.Sedanskalldugenomatttryckahndernamotgolvetlyftauppdinkroppsatt
baksidanavbenetvilar(trycker)motfoamrollern.Efterdettaskallduunder30sekunder
lngsamtrullafoamrollernunderdinkroppstyngdi30sekunder,dettaskermellanrumpaoch
kn.

Etttillflleavtesterbrintetamerncirka2030minuter.Allinformationomdigochdinadata
kommerattbehandlasmedkonfidentialitet.Dettainnebrattingeninformationomdigkommer
attleda,blilnkadtillelleridentifieradigsomperson.Dettariverensstmmelsemed
Konfidentialitetslagen.Dinmedverkanidennastudiekanvenavbrytasnrsomhelst.Denna
studieochdessdesignhargodkntsavdenlokalagruppenfrEtiskaunderskningarp
Halmstadhgskola.Dennastudieutfrssomexaminationsmomentfrenkandidatexameninom
BiomedicinpHalmstadhgskola.

Kontaktinformation
MathiasWrnstrm(Studiefrfattare):Tel0768046670,Emailmattethe_1@hotmail.com
LinaLundgren(Studiehandledare):Tel035167612,Emaillina.lundgren@hh.se

30


Informeratsamtycke

Dettarettskriftligtinformeratsamtyckeommedverkanistudienvarssyfterattunderska
foamrollingochstatisktstretchingmedhnsyntilldesseffektpprestationistendelngdhopp
ochflexibilitetimuskulaturenavbaksidalr.

Genomattsigneradettapappersaccepterardufljande:

Jagmedhllerattjagblivitinformeradomstudienssyfte,hurinformationeninsamlas,analyseras
ochanvnds.Jagharinformeratsomattminmedverkanrsomfrivilligochattjag,nrsom
helst,kanavbrytaminmedverkanidennastudieutanangivenorsak.Iomedovanstendes
accepterarjagattmedverkaidennastudievarssyfterattunderskafoamrollingochstatisk
stretchingmedhnsyntilldesseffektpprestationistendelngdhoppochflexibiliteti
muskulaturenavbaksidalr.

Stad/Datum_________________________________________________________

Signaturavfrivilligmedverkande________________________________________________

Namnavfrivilligmedverkande___________________________________________________

Signaturavstudiefrfattare___________________________________________________

31
Mathias currently lives in Stockholm
where he works as a personal trainer
and coach.

PO Box 823, SE-301 18 Halmstad

Phone: +35 46 16 71 00
E-mail: registrator@hh.se
www.hh.se