Self-myofascial release (SMR) is a well-known and popular therapy. Its growing popularity is based on high effectiveness and availability. However, there is a lack of agreement about which parameters should be used to optimize the effects of the therapy. The purpose of this review is to critically select and assess current literature and ascertain the values of the follow­ing parameters: (1) therapy duration, (2) volume of applied pressure, (3) speed and (4) frequency of roll, (5) type of roller, (6) the number of treatment applications during one session, (7) the duration of intervals between applications that yield the best results in terms of soft tissue.The authors launched their research in May 2018. The search strategy included the electronic databases EBSCOhost and PubMed. The following inclusion criteria were assessed:- English language, high quality manuscripts (evaluation in PEDro scale)- at least one of the groups using the foam roller, tennis ball or the stick to fascial release- basic parameters of therapy described.A total 55 articles met the inclusion criteria. Patients can usually withstand a maximum tolerable pressure for 30-120 seconds, repeated 1-3 times, separated by 30 seconds of rest. The intensity of a single rolling movement should be moderate, and the movement should last about 3 seconds. Keeping the roller on particularly sensitive areas is recommended to release tension and enhance blood perfusion.Currently, there is no consensus on an optimal FR programme. However, there is a tendency to use SMR tools with a physiol­ogy-based method to enhance therapeutic efficiency.

Introduction: The occurrence of fatigue in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is influenced by pain, frequent bowel movements, stress associated with symptoms and time of their occurrence reaction of surroundings, fear for their own health, sleep disturbances, side effects of pharmacological treatment, physical and mental exhaustion, hindered social contacts and difficulties at work. Aim: To evaluate the fatigue and the assessment of functioning of patients with IBD, who were treated surgically. Material and methods: To evaluate the functioning of patients, a Polish version of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire was used. To evaluate the occurrence of fatigue in studied subjects, a Polish version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale was used. The activity of disease was evaluated with the use of the Crohn's Disease Activity Index for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and the Clinical Activity Index for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Results: Before surgery, there was no significant difference between CD and UC patients, with regard to the mean FACIT-F (28.76 for CD and 28.76 for UC, p = 0.72). Also, after surgery, there was no significant difference between CD and UC patients, with regard to the mean FACIT-F (14.8 for CD and 16.0 for UC, p = 0.71). The IBD patients who underwent surgery for CD and UC had significantly lower FACIT-F scores compared to the patients before the surgery (p = 0.001 and p = 0.0001, respectively). IBD patients who underwent surgery for CD and UC had significantly better functioning and higher IBDQ total scores compared to the patients before the surgery. Conclusions: Surgical treatment significantly reduces the fatigue symptom in patients with IBD. The severity of fatigue correlates with disease activity and functioning in the respective areas.