Analysis of: Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic

Performance Measures

The article I chose was a peer reviewed journal that tested the effect of foam rolling on
delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscular performance. I was interested in this topic
because foam rolling has recently become a fad in the fitness world and I wanted to see if it
actually worked. While this article was not specifically testing dancers, it still holds valuable
information about the effects of foam rolling that is applicable to an activity such as dance.
The objective of this study was to test the effects of foam rolling as a recovery tool for
muscular performance and DOMS after intense exercise through tests such as: pressure-pain
threshold, sprint speed, power (dynamic), change of direction, and dynamic strength endurance.
Eight physically active males around the age of 22.1 years (SD = 2.5 years) were put through an
intense exercise sequence after which during the control session, they would not foam roll and
were tested by the assessment factors at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Four weeks later, participants
were put through the same test except that after the sequence they performed a 20-minute foam
rolling sequence that targeted the Quadriceps, Hip adductors, Hamstrings, IT band and Glute
region and were tested by the assessment factors at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Significance of data
was later determined by using repeated measures t-tests. They concluded that foam rolling
increased recovery from DOMS and resulted in increased pain-pressure thresholds (less tense
muscles), sprint speed, power, and dynamic strength-endurance at various times in the 72-hour
span after exercise in comparison with the control.
I personally believe this study has to be taken with a grain of salt since the sample size is
selective and relatively small, only including eight males of approximately the same age.
Theoretically, female participants would show the same patterns as their male counterparts,
however without data, nothing can be proven. In addition to this, the selected participants were
described simply as physically active; a rather objective term. The study did not specify what
qualifies them as physically active.
Overall, it can be said that foam rolling effects recovery from DOMS in a positive
manner but has has only moderate effects on muscular function. While foam rolling may not be
the key to solving all of our muscular aches and soreness, this study still shows that foam rolling
significantly improves recovery from DOMS. As dancers, this is important to have a way to
recover from DOMS because it can have negative consequences on our performance. When
trying to function with extreme muscle soreness and fatigue, dancer can be more susceptible to
DOMS-induced impairments such as decreased joint proprioception, decreased joint range of
motion, decreased strength and power measures, alterations in agonist and antagonist strength
ratios, and changes in recruitment patterns. A change in any one of these could cause major
injury and because of that, dancers should incorporate foam rolling into their daily routines.