Acute Effects of Tissue Flossing Coupled with Functional Movements on Knee Range of Motion, Static Balance, in Single-Leg Hop Distance, and Landing Stabilization Performance in Female College Students

Szu-Ying Wu; Yi-Hsun Tsai; Yu-Ting Wang; Wen-Dien Chang; Chia-Lun Lee; Chun-En Aurea Kuo; Nai-Jen Chang

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031427

Acute Effects of Tissue Flossing Coupled with Functional Movements on Knee Range of Motion, Static Balance, in Single-Leg Hop Distance, and Landing Stabilization Performance in Female College Students

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 27;19(3):1427. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031427.

Authors

Szu-Ying Wu^{1

2

3}, Yi-Hsun Tsai¹, Yu-Ting Wang³, Wen-Dien Chang⁴, Chia-Lun Lee⁵, Chun-En Aurea Kuo^{1

2}, Nai-Jen Chang^{3

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chinese Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan.
² School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan.
³ Department of Sports Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Sport Performance, National Taiwan University of Sport, Taichung 404, Taiwan.
⁵ Center for Physical and Health Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan.
⁶ Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.

Abstract

Flexibility, specifically that in the amplitude of sagittal-plane range of motion (ROM), can improve jump landing patterns and reduce the potential for sports injury. The use of floss bands (FLOSS) reportedly increases joint range of motion (ROM) in the shoulder, ankle, and elbow joints. However, little research on the effectiveness of FLOSS on the knee joint has been conducted. This study investigated the effects of FLOSS on knee ROM, static balance, single-leg-hop distance, and landing stabilization performance in women. This study had a crossover design. Twenty active female college students without musculoskeletal disorders were randomly assigned to receive a FLOSS intervention or elastic bandage (ELA) control on their dominant knees. The participants underwent FLOSS and ELA activities on two occasions with 48 h of rest between both sets of activities. The outcomes were flexibility of the quadriceps and hamstrings, how long one could maintain a single-leg stance (with and without eyes closed), distance on a single-leg triple hop, and score on the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS); these outcomes were evaluated at preintervention and postintervention (immediately following band removal and 20 min later). After the FLOSS intervention, the participants' hamstring flexibility improved significantly (immediately after: p = 0.001; 20 min later: p = 0.002), but their quadricep flexibility did not. In addition, FLOSS use did not result in worse single-leg stance timing, single-leg triple-hop distance, or landing stabilization performance relative to ELA use. Compared with the ELA control, the FLOSS intervention yielded significantly better LESS at 20 min postintervention (p = 0.032), suggesting that tissue flossing can improve landing stability. In conclusion, the application of FLOSS to the knee improves hamstring flexibility without impeding static balance, and improves single-leg hop distance and landing stabilization performance in women for up to 20 min. Our findings elucidate the effects of tissue flossing on the knee joint and may serve as a reference for physiotherapists or athletic professionals in athletic practice settings.

Keywords: exercise; flexibility; injury prevention; myofascial release; sports performance.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries*
Cross-Over Studies
Female
Humans
Knee
Knee Joint
Leg*
Range of Motion, Articular
Students