Acute effects of foam rolling on the mechanical properties of myofascial tissues and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Visualizar/ Abrir
Data
2021-08-25Primeiro membro da banca
Carpes, Felipe Pivetta
Segundo membro da banca
Lima, Kelly Mônica Marinho e
Metadata
Mostrar registro completoResumo
Foam rolling (FR) is widely used as part of rehabilitation and physical training programs. Although there is some evidence showing FR’s effects on myofascial tissues’ stiffness and muscle strength, there is no consensus on the FR’s effect on these parameters. The purpose of this study was to systematically review and evaluated through meta-analysis, trials that tested the FR’s acute effects on the myofascial tissues’ stiffness and muscle strength. A systematic review was performed using the Cochrane’s recommendations to reviewing papers indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PEDro databases. The search focused on randomized controlled trials that tested the FR’s acute effects on the myofascial tissues’ stiffness and muscle strength in healthy adults and/or athletes. Included studies were methodologically assessed by the PEDro scale. Assessed outcomes were fascial and muscle stiffness, isometric and isokinetic muscle strength, and rate of force development (RFD). Available data were pooled in a meta-analysis. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE’s approach. Of the 20 included studies [PEDro: mean 5.0±1.3 (range 4-8)], four evaluated the stiffness of fascial tissues in the trunk and thigh region, seven assessed the muscle stiffness of thigh and calf muscles, while 12 evaluated the muscle strength of knee extensors and flexors, and plantar flexors, during isometric (n=9) and isokinetic (n=3) contractions. Qualitative analysis showed decreases in fascial and muscle stiffness after FR. However, the meta-analysis showed that FR does not change myofascial tissues’ stiffness. Qualitative and quantitative analysis showed no effects on isometric muscle strength, eccentric torque, and RFD. However, the concentric torque showed contradictory results. The meta-analysis showed increases in concentric torque of the knee extensors, but not of the knee flexors. Our findings suggest that FR induces no changes in the myofascial tissues’ stiffness. Therefore, changes in functional parameters (e.g., joint range of motion) reported in the literature, seems to occur due to neural mechanisms and not due to tissues’ stiffness. Regarding muscle strength, there seems to be a consensus that FR does not affect isometric muscle strength, while evidence for the FR’s effects on eccentric torque and RFD is still limited. Small evidence suggests an increase in the knee extensors’ concentric torque, however, these findings must be interpreted with caution due to the studies’ poor methodological quality and the low level of evidence’s certainty. The GRADE’s analysis showed an insufficient evidence level of FR for myofascial tissues’ stiffness and muscle strength, indicating that the studies have serious methodological limitations and large imprecision of the results. Future high methodological quality studies should be performed to better determine which exactly FR acute effects on the myofascial tissues’ stiffness and muscle strength are. Based on the available evidence, FR may increase the knee extensors’ concentric torque, but it does not seem to acutely change the myofascial tissues’ stiffness of the trunk, and isometric muscle strength of the lower limbs.
Coleções
Os arquivos de licença a seguir estão associados a este item: