Foam rollers and their effect on your range of motion

Are you working on your flexibility? Have you ever considered using a foam roller? This study tests foam roller’s effect on hamstrings’ range of motion (ROM). It is concluded that the use of the roller-massager resulted in a 4.3% increase in ROM. 10 seconds of rolling duration increases ROM more than 5-second rolling duration.

Another research published in the Journal of Athletic Training concluded that roller massage increased knee-joint ROM and neuromuscular efficiency during a lunge. It suggested that foam roller could be used during a warm-up or flexibility training to increase your ROM.

Overall, the use of the roller-massager had no significant effect on muscle strength, and can provide statistically significant increases in ROM. Nevertheless there are some drawbacks with current research on roller massage and ROM. Some test roller massage for 5-10 seconds while others experiment for 20 seconds or even up to 10 minutes. There is not yet any unified methods among studies and consensus on the optimal usage of a foam roller, i.e how long and how often you should use it.

Regardless it shows that a foam roller could have a positive effect on your range of motion, so test it out!