Background Foam roller and vibration techniques are currently used to assist in recovery after fatigue. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the use of a foam roller with and without vibration on dynamic balance, ankle dorsiflexion, hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility and perceived knee and ankle stability after an induced fatigue protocol. Methods A total of 24 healthy recreationally active participants (17 males and seven females) were recruited to a randomized cross over trial consisting of; no treatment (NT), foam roller treatment (FR) and vibration foam roller treatment (VFR). The assessments included; the Sit & Reach test, Y balance test and post-treatment perceived knee and ankle stability. Measurements were taken after a standardized warm up (baseline) and repeated following an exercise-induced muscle fatigue protocol consisting of repeated lunges until volitional fatigue. The three treatment conditions were assessed on three separate days in a randomized order. A 3 × 3 repeated measures ANOVA was used to investigate differences between the three treatments over the three time points and a one factor repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine any differences between treatments using the Global Rate of Change scale when considering perceived stability. Results FR and VFR conditions both showed a greater ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) (p < 0.001), greater posteromedial and posterolateral reach distances (p < 0.001) and a better knee and ankle perceived stability (p < 0.001) when compared to the NT condition. A trend toward significance was observed in the hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility (p = 0.074) in both treatment conditions when compared to the NT condition. However, no differences were seen between the FR and VFR conditions. Conclusions Both FR conditions seem to assist in exercise-induced muscle fatigue recovery with improvements in ROM, balance and perceived stability.

The global rate of obesity in childhood is becoming an epidemic and many authors have established a significant association between childhood obesity and overweight in adulthood. It is therefore necessary to seek effective strategies to reduce these levels of obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Healthy Habits Program (HHP). The participants comprised 158 children from the fifth and sixth grades (intervention group, n = 82; control group, n = 76). The HHP is a school-based physical activity program focusing on promoting a healthy lifestyle. It lasted for 8 months, and measurements were taken at the beginning and end of the program. Physiological variables (total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, blood pressure, and maximal oxygen consumption), anthropometric variables (body mass index (BMI)) and behavioral variables (breakfast, quality of diet, meal frequency, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and perceived health) were evaluated. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) after the intervention for the intervention group in triglycerides, blood glucose and maximal oxygen consumption. Significant improvements were also observed in breakfast habits and quality of diet. Finally, a significant improvement in prevalence of normal levels was observed for total cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI. It can therefore be stated that the HHP is an innovative and useful school-based program that can help to improve diet and health in childhood.

It is known that high-intensity exercise can cause inflammation and damage in muscle tissue, and in recent years, physical therapists and fitness professionals have begun to use foam rolling as a recovery method to improve performance. Despite the lack of basic science studies to support or refute the efficacy of foam rolling, the technique is very widely used in the sports world. In this respect, we investigated whether foam rolling could attenuate muscle damage and inflammation. Female Wistar rats were assigned to control (C), foam rolling (FR), notexin without foam rolling (N) and notexin with foam rolling (NFR) groups. A 4.5 x 2 cm foam roller was used to massage their hind legs (two 60-second repetitions twice a day for 3 days). Motor function tests (Balance Beam Test and Grip strength) were used. We detected an increase in time and foot faults when crossing a beam in the N group compared to C and FR rats. In contrast, a significant decrease was detected in both tests in NFR compared to N rats. Muscle power was measured with a grip strength test and better performance was detected in NFR rats compared to N rats. Furthermore, an increase of pro-inflammatory proteins was noted in the N group, while there was a decrease in the NFR group. On the contrary, an increase in PPAR-γ (anti-inflammatory protein) in the NFR group compared to the N group demonstrates the anti-inflammatory properties of the foam rolling technique. In summary, applying foam rolling after damage has benefits such as an increase in anti-inflammatory proteins and a reduction of pro-inflammatory proteins, resulting in muscle recovery and better performance.

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