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Foam Rolling and Blood Pressure
Sponsor: University of Palermo
Summary
Foam rolling (FR) has emerged as a widely adopted modality among rehabilitation practitioners and physically active populations. Previous investigations on FR have reported improvements in joint range of motion, small to trivial enhancements in selected performance measures, attenuation of exercise-induced muscle soreness, and reductions in pain perception. While the evidence base supporting range-of-motion, performance, muscle soreness and pain sensitivity adaptations is relatively well developed, considerably less attention has been directed toward the blood pressure responses to FR and the potential underlying mechanisms. Consequently, the physiological impact of FR on cardiovascular regulation in healthy, normotensive young adults remains insufficiently characterized and requires further systematic investigation. An acute reduction in blood pressure may be postulated, potentially mediated by mechanisms involving changes in total peripheral resistance, which could be linked to modifications in tissue mechanical characteristics. In parallel, a contributory role of autonomic regulation cannot be excluded, as shifts in sympathetic and parasympathetic activity may also influence cardiovascular responses.
Official title: Acute Blood Pressure Responses to Operator-administered Foam Rolling of the Right Thigh: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
29
Start Date
2025-10-14
Completion Date
2026-02-10
Last Updated
2026-10-16
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Foam Rolling Intervention (FR)
The FR intervention was conducted using a Theraband® Roller Massager (The Hygenic Corporation, Akron, OH, USA). All procedures were performed exclusively on the right thigh and administered by the same investigator to ensure methodological consistency. The protocol included a total of eight sets, four per muscle group (hamstrings and quadriceps of the right thigh), resulting in an overall intervention duration of 4 minutes (2 minutes allocated to the hamstrings and 2 minutes to the quadriceps). Each muscle group underwent four sets of 30 rolling repetitions executed at a controlled cadence of one repetition per second, yielding 30 seconds of continuous rolling per set. No other drugs or devices were involved in the procedural interventions.
Locations (1)
University of Palermo
Palermo, Sicily, Italy