The effects of foam rolling of plantar fascia on the arches of the foot and flexibility

Abstract

Introduction: Tissues located on the plantar side of the foot determine its static and dynamic properties and their tightness might be associated with limiting the range of motion in functional tasks. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of loosening tissues located on the plantar side of the foot on its longitudinal arching and on the range of the trunk forward bend. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 30 healthy volunteers, aged 18-25. They were divided into two groups and assigned to an experimental group (EG, n = 15) and a control group (CG, n = 15). Participants in both groups underwent three series of measurements including the measurement of the height of the navicular bone, the fingers-to-floor test and the podoscopic examination (Clarke's angle). In between these measurements subjects from the EG performed a foam-rolling sequence. The subjects from the CG did not perform any intervention. Acute and chronic effect (2 weeks) of foam rolling was examined. Results: Changes in the Thomayer's test results, Clarke's angle values and the height of navicular bone values caused by the intervention did not show a statistically significant difference between the EG and CG (p>0.05). Conclusions: Foam rolling of the plantar side of the foot does not seem to influence the shape of the foot and the trunk forward bend range of motion. Further research is required to investigate the effects of foam rolling.

Effects of an integrative warm-up method on the range of motion, core stability, and quality of squat performance of young adults

“…Previous studies were based on rolling that lasted longer, while in this research rolling lasted 30s, in the form of warming up for the upcoming training. In fact, there is no consensus on how long the foam-rolling sequence should last ( 31 ). Moreover, the mechanism by which the effect is achieved is still unclear and insufficiently researched ( 32 ).…”

“…The obtained results can be compared with the research in which the application of SMR plantar facials managed to increase the posterior muscular chain flexibility ( 33 ). The authors explain this phenomenon by the fact that the plantar fascia is the most distal part of the muscle chain, and that applying pressure on it stimulates mechanoreceptors that enable relaxation of the entire chain ( 31 ). After six weeks, there were large changes in the increase in the range of motion of the ankle, particularly in EG3.…”