Comparing foam rolling, vibration rolling, and static stretching as a warm-up exercise

A study from Taiwan published in Journal of Sports Science investigated that the immediate effects of foam rolling, vibration rolling, and static stretching as a part of a warm-up regimen on the flexibility, knee joint proprioception, muscle strength, and dynamic balance of the lower extremity in young adults.

Compared with the pre-intervention, vibration rolling induced the range of motion of knee flexion and extension significantly increased by 2.5% and 6%, respectively, and isokinetic peak torque and dynamic balance for muscle strength and dynamic balance increased by 33%-35% and 1.5%, respectively. In the three conditions, most outcomes between vibration rolling and regular rolling were comparable; however, the participants had a significantly higher knee joint reposition error after non-vibration rolling, indicating that foam rolling could have a knee joint proprioception hampering effect.

Compared with static stretching, vibration rolling significantly increased the quadriceps muscle strength by 2-fold and dynamic balance by 1.8-fold.

The authors suggested that these findings could inform athletic professionals to consider vibration rolling for designing more efficient and effective pre-performance routine.