Acute effects of lateral thigh foam rolling on arterial blood flow

A study on foam rolling now provides new evidence on its effects on the cellular and physiological level.

The study by scientists from Germany assessed the effect of foam rolling on arterial blood flow of the lateral thigh. Twenty-one healthy participants (age 25 ± 2 years, height 177 ± 9 cm, body weight 74 ± 9 kg) were recruited from the medical and sports faculty. Arterial tissue perfusion was determined by spectral Doppler and power Doppler ultrasound, represented as peak flow (Vmax), time average velocity maximum (TAMx), time average velocity mean (TAMn), and resistive index (RI), and with semiquantitative grading that was assessed by four blind-folded investigators. Measurement values were assessed under resting conditions and twice after foam rolling exercises of the lateral thigh (0 min and 30 min post intervention). The trochanteric region, mid portion, and distal tibial insertion of the lateral thigh were representative for data analysis.

The results showed that arterial blood flow of the lateral thigh increased significantly following foam rolling exercises compared to baseline. The study detected a relative increase in peak flow (Vmax) of 73.6% (right after rolling) and 52.7 % (30 min after rolling) , in TAMx of 53.2%and 38.3 % and in TAMn of 84.4% and 68.2 % .

Semiquantitative Power Doppler scores at all portions revealed increased average grading of 1.96 after intervention and 2.04 after 30 min compared to 0.75 at baseline.

This results contribute to the understanding of local physiological reactions to self-myofascial release.