Additional roller massage applied at ten-minute intervals can prolong hip and knee flexion range of motion improvements up to 30-minutes post warmup without impairing neuromuscular performance

Abstract

Roller massage (RM) has been shown to increase range of motion (ROM) without incurring subsequent performance deficits; contrarily, prolonged static stretching (SS) can induce performance impairments. It is not known if adding RM to a SS routine would augment stretch-induced ROM improvements. Furthermore, it is not known whether performing RM at intervals after stretching would prolong ROM increases. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of combining SS and RM with and without subsequent RM at 10-minute intervals on ROM and neuromuscular performance measures, and to monitor changes over 30-minutes. Whereas sessions involving a post-intervention rest period saw a diminishing effect to most ROM measurements over time, sessions including RM at 10 and 20-minutes post-intervention demonstrated maintained or greater active and passive hip and knee flexion ROM after 30-minutes. SS only and SS+RM provided similar ROM improvements, while most neuromuscular performance measures were not adversely affected.