Self-Myofascial Release of the Foot Plantar Surface: The Effects of a Single Exercise Session on the Posterior Muscular Chain Flexibility after One Hour

Luca Russo (), Eleonora Montagnani, Davide Pietrantuono, Fabiola D’Angona, Tommaso Fratini, Riccardo Di Giminiani, Stefano Palermi, Francesco Ceccarini, Gian Mario Migliaccio, Elena Lupu and Johnny Padulo
Additional contact information
Luca Russo: Department of Human Sciences, Università Telematica degli Studi IUL, 50122 Florence, Italy
Eleonora Montagnani: Department of Sports and Health Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4AT, UK
Davide Pietrantuono: Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Fabiola D’Angona: Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Tommaso Fratini: Department of Human Sciences, Università Telematica degli Studi IUL, 50122 Florence, Italy
Riccardo Di Giminiani: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Stefano Palermi: Public Health Department, University of Naples Federico II, 80132 Naples, Italy
Francesco Ceccarini: Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
Gian Mario Migliaccio: Department of Performance, Sport Science Lab, 09131 Cagliari, Italy
Elena Lupu: Department of Motor Activities, Petroleum Gas University Ploiesti, 100600 Ploiesti, Romania
Johnny Padulo: Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of a single exercise session of Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) on the posterior muscular chain flexibility after one hour from the intervention. Thirty-six participants performed SMR using a rigid ball under the surface of both feet. Participants were tested with the Sit and Reach (S&R) test at four different times: before (T0), immediately after (T1), 30 (T2), and 60 (T3) minutes after the SMR intervention. The sample ( n = 36) was categorized into three groups: (1) flexible, (2) average, and (3) stiff, based on the flexibility level at T0 (S&R values of >10 cm, >0 but <10 cm and <0 cm, respectively). For the whole sample, we detected significant improvements in the S&R test between the T1, T2, and T3 compared to T0. The stiff group showed a significant ( p < 0.05) improvement between T1–T2 and T1–T3. Results were similar between the average group and the whole sample. The flexible group did not show any significant difference ( p > 0.05) over time. In conclusion, this investigation demonstrated that an SMR session of both feet was able to increase posterior muscular chain flexibility up to one hour after intervention. Considering that a standard training session generally lasts one hour, our study can help professionals take advantage of SMR effects for the entire training period. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that physical exercise practitioners should also assess individuals’ flexibility before training, as the SMR procedure used in this work does not seem necessary in flexible individuals.

Keywords: self-myofascial release; training; sit and reach; posterior muscular chain; flexibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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