Comparison of Isolated or Combined Static Stretching and Foam Rolling on Knee Extensors' Function

Abstract

Static stretching (SS), foam rolling (FR), and a combination of both are used as warm-ups for sports and training. However, no reports have compared or examined the warm-up effects of short-term interventions (i.e., 30-s). Therefore, this study was designed to compare and examine the effects of short-term SS, FR, and SS+FR on knee extensors. The dominant knee extensors of 14 male university students (22.0 ± 1.3 years old) were tested. Five conditions were randomized: 60-s SS, 60-s FR, 30-s SS+ 30-s FR, 30-s SS, and 30-s FR to examine differences in intervention method, duration, and combined. The measures were knee flexion range of motion (ROM), pain pressure threshold (PPT), tissue hardness, maximum voluntary contraction-isometric (MVC-ISO), and MVC-concentric (MVC-CON) torques, measured before and after the intervention. Knee flexion ROM (d = 0.40, d = 0.59, d = 0.54, d = 0.59, d = 0.52 respectively) and PPT (d = 0.77, d = 0.60, d = 0.90, d = 0.74, d = 0.52, respectively) were significantly increased (p < 0.01), and tissue hardness (d = -0.79, d = -0.63, d = -0.53, d = -0.59, d = -0.72, respectively) was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) in all conditions. However, MVC-ISO decreased significantly (p < 0.01) in the 60-s SS and 30-s SS conditions but did not affect MVC-CON in all conditions. The results of this study revealed that SS, FR, and SS+FR interventions for a short-term as a warm-up before exercise were effective in increasing ROM, PPT, and decreasing tissue hardness. However, SS intervention with more than 30-s on the knee extensors decreased muscle strength, so short-term FR intervention is recommended when the goal is to increase ROM while maintaining both MVC-ISO and MVC-CON torques. Similarly, a short-term FR intervention after a short-term SS can eliminate the effect of strength impairments.

Keywords: Warm-up; flexibility; muscle strength; range of motion.