The Effects of Self Myofascial Release on the Plantar Surface of the Foot During Sledge Rebound Jumps. Cian S Lanigan & Andrew J. Harrison Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, of , Castletroy, Limerick, . Phone +353 (0)61 202700. Fax + 353 61 202814. E-mail BACKGROUND. Various studies have demonstrated that fascia may play a more significant role in the human body than previously established. The majority of the research in this area is still focused around the physiological changes that occur during hands-on therapy. From this research numerous findings have been made, many of which could also be associated with an enhanced function. There is currently no known research investigating myofascial manipulation and performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether self myofascial release (SMFR) on the plantar surface of the foot could enhance dynamic strength measures. METHODS. Fourteen subjects, 9 male and 5 females, were recruited for the study. Subjects used SMFR on the dominant leg, allowing the non-dominant leg to act as a control. Measurements of contact time (CT), height jumped (HJ), flight time (FT), and reactive strength index (RSI) were obtained during single leg rebound jumps (RBJ) using a specially constructed force sledge apparatus. Reactive strength index (RSI) can be defined as the to change quickly subject’s ability from an eccentric to a concentric contraction and can be regarded as a measure of an individual’s explosive strength. All measurements were obtained before and after SMFR. RESULTS. Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that SMFR had a positive effect on RSI (p < 0.01), increasing this performance measure by 20.1%. HJ showed a similar trend (increasing 12.8%) but was not significant. CT did not see a change post SMFR (p = 0.76). CONCLUSION. From a training perspective, the results indicated the use of SMFR as an integrated part of the warm-up as thirteen out of fourteen subjects either maintained or increased performance after SMFR. Furthermore, as CT did not change while HJ had a noted improvement this clearly offers an insight as to how SMFR affected the jumping mechanics; subjects were able to produce a greater amount of force in the same amount of time after SMFR.
The Effects of Self Myofascial Release on the Plantar Surface of the Foot During Sledge Rebound Jumps. Cian S Lanigan & Andrew J. Harrison Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, of , Castletroy, Limerick, . Phone +353 (0)61 202700. Fax + 353 61 202814. E-mail BACKGROUND. Various studies have demonstrated that fascia may play a more significant role in the human body than previously established. The majority of the research in this area is still focused around the physiological changes that occur during hands-on therapy. From this research numerous findings have been made, many of which could also be associated with an enhanced function. There is currently no known research investigating myofascial manipulation and performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether self myofascial release (SMFR) on the plantar surface of the foot could enhance dynamic strength measures. METHODS. Fourteen subjects, 9 male and 5 females, were recruited for the study. Subjects used SMFR on the dominant leg, allowing the non-dominant leg to act as a control. Measurements of contact time (CT), height jumped (HJ), flight time (FT), and reactive strength index (RSI) were obtained during single leg rebound jumps (RBJ) using a specially constructed force sledge apparatus. Reactive strength index (RSI) can be defined as the subject’s ability to change quickly from an eccentric to a concentric contraction and can be regarded as a measure of an individual’s explosive strength. All measurements were obtained before and after SMFR. RESULTS. Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that SMFR had a positive effect on RSI (p < 0.01), increasing this performance measure by 20.1%. HJ showed a similar trend (increasing 12.8%) but was not significant. CT did not see a change post SMFR (p = 0.76). CONCLUSION. From a training perspective, the results indicated the use of SMFR as an integrated part of the warm-up as thirteen out of fourteen subjects either maintained or increased performance after SMFR. Furthermore, as CT did not change while HJ had a noted improvement this clearly offers an insight as to how SMFR affected the jumping mechanics; subjects were able to produce a greater amount of force in the same amount of time after SMFR.
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