The effect of Self-Myofascial release techniques with a foam roller on hamstring flexibility in young adults Kang Ji-Hye1, Lee Gyeong-Deok1, Hong Ji-Heon1, Yu Jae-Ho1, Kim Jin-Seop1, Lee Dong-Yeop1,* 1Dept. of Physical Therapy, Sun Moon University, Republic of Korea *Corresponding Author: Dong-Yeop Lee Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Sunmoon University, Korea Email: kan717@hanmail.net
Online published on 16 October, 2018. Abstract Background/Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of self myofascial release (SMR) and active stretching (AS) using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on the flexibility of the hamstring muscle.. Method/Statistical Analysis This study was conducted on 30 healthy adult males and females. Subjects were divided randomly into three groups: SMR+TENS, AS+TENS, SMR. For the comparison, toe touch (TT) test, active straight leg raising (SLR) test, passive knee extension (PKE) test and pennation angle were measured before and after the intervention. Paired-Samples T Test and One-Way ANOVA were used to analyze the measured values.. Findings In previous studies, several stretching methods have been proposed to increase flexibility, but it is not known which method is most effective. Also studies on the stretching method combining SMR and TENS were in short supply. In our study, for the purpose of measuring flexibility, TT, SLR PKE, and pennation angle was measured and the values shown in SMR+TENS group before and after the experiment are 4.05cm, 8.85°, 7.52°, and 2.58°, respectively. AS+TENS group showed 3.58cm, 5.72°, 70.69°, 4.02° and the values in SMR are 4.61cm, 6.40°, 7.47°, 2.12°. All three groups significantly improved flexibility. It was found to be more effective in improving flexibility in the SMR + TENS group than in the AS + TENS group. However, there were no significant differences between SMR + TENS and SMR groups.. Improvements/Applications The subjects are all young adults, so it is difficult to compare the results with those of all ages. In addition, the number of subjects is comparatively few. Top Keywords Hamstring, Flexibility, Self-Myofascial Release, Active Stretching, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. Top |