Preventive effect of foam rolling on muscle soreness after exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 39593540 · doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.10.009
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted across six databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge databases) up to August 2022. The review evaluated the effect of post-exercise foam rolling on muscle soreness using visual analogue scale (VAS) and pressure-pain threshold (PPT) across four timepoints: immediately, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post-intervention.
What was found
A total of 16 RCTs involving 515 subjects were included. Foam rolling significantly reduced VAS muscle soreness immediately (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI: -0.61 to -0.15, P = 0.001), at 24 h (SMD = -0.53, 95% CI: -0.82 to -0.25, P = 0.0003), at 48 h (SMD = -0.77, 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.42, P < 0.00001), and at 72 h (SMD = -0.67, 95% CI: -1.09 to -0.24, P = 0.002). For PPT, differences were not statistically significant immediately (SMD = 0.23, P = 0.25), at 24 h (SMD = 0.48, P = 0.11), or at 48 h (SMD = 0.39, P = 0.22), but reached significance at 72 h (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.74, P = 0.04).
Why it matters
This meta-analysis indicates that foam rolling provides modest subjective relief of delayed-onset muscle soreness, with benefits becoming more pronounced 24 to 72 hours after exercise.
Limits
The total sample size across 16 trials was modest (515 participants, averaging ~32 per trial). Several confidence intervals for PPT in the abstract contain typographical errors, limiting full assessment of data precision. The abstract does not specify participant demographics, exercise protocols, or foam rolling duration and pressure.
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