Myofascial Release Techniques in Football Players

Investigation of Acute Effects of Myofascial Release Techniques on Jumping Performance, Balance, and Proprioception in Football Players

Fascial tissue ensures optimal function and mobility by providing gliding and force transfer during movement. However, fascial order can be disrupted in cases such as overuse and trauma. Therefore, treatment of fascial tissue is important. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of different myofascial release techniques on jumping performance, flexibility, balance, and proprioception in amateur football players.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Fasciae (Anatomy)--Inflammation
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Fascial release with instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization; Other: Fascial release with foam roller

Detailed Description

Fascial tissue ensures optimal function by providing gliding and force transfer during movement. It is also associated with an increase in functional capacity by providing flexibility. However, excessive exercise, incorrect movements, and excessive load on the tissue cause dysfunctions in the fascial tissue, leading to myofascial limitations. Elimination of these limitations is important for the maintenance of optimal function. Fascia also provides sensory transmission as a proprioceptive organ. Myofascial limitations also cause problems in sensory organization, leading to injuries and injuries. For this reason, a decrease in flexibility, balance, and sports functions can be observed. Various methods are used to eliminate this myofascial limitation, and there is an increasing demand for myofascial release techniques in many areas daily. The effects of different myofascial release techniques have been examined in the literature in various disease groups and sports injuries, and their effects on joint range of motion, pain, and flexibility have been shown. However, since there are different release techniques, information on which method is more effective or the optimal usage period is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of different myofascial release techniques applied with Graston and foam roller on jumping performance, flexibility, balance, and proprioception in amateur football players.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Musa Gunes, PhD; Phone Number: 05315132482; Email: musagunes@karabuk.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Karabük, Turkey
    • Recruiting
    • Karabuk University, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Application and Research Center
    • Contact: Musa Güneş, MsC; Phone Number: +905315132482; Email: musagunes@karabuk.edu.tr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being between the ages of 18-35
• Being able to communicate in Turkish
• Being willing to participate in the study.
• Being a licensed football player

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those with a body mass index of 30 kg/m² or higher
• Those with a history of lower extremity surgery in the last 6 months
• Those with cardiac, musculoskeletal, vestibular, and neurological problems
• Those with mental, perceptual problems (Mini-mental test score <24)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; No intervention will be applied to the control group.
Experimental: Fascial release with instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization; The fascial release group will be treated with the Graston device to the superficial and deep fascia of the hamstrings and the gastro-soleus muscle complex.	Other: Fascial release with instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization; The fascial release group will be treated with the Graston device to the superficial and deep fascia of the hamstrings and the gastro-soleus muscle complex in both extremities for a total of 16 minutes.
Experimental: Fascial release with foam roller; The fascial release group will be treated with the self-foam roller treatment to the fascia of the hamstrings and the gastro-soleus muscle complex.	Other: Fascial release with foam roller; Fascial release with a foam roller will be applied to the fascia of the hamstring and gastro-soleus muscle complex with a self-foam roller for a total of 16 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Jumping perfomance	My Jump 2, a mobile app designed for vertical jump performance, high-speed video capture	baseline, immediately after the intervention
Proprioception	Proprioception will be evaluated with an inclinometer at a 30-45 degree angle.	baseline, immediately after the intervention
Balance	The Y Balance Test (YBT) will ve used for evaluating dynamic balance across three reach directions: anterior (ANT), posteromedial (PM), and posterolateral (PL)	baseline, immediately after the intervention
Flexibilty	Flexibility will be assessed with a sit-and-reach test.	baseline, immediately after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Karabuk University
• Investigators: Study Director: Musa Güneş, PhD, Karabuk University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• MacDonald GZ, Penney MD, Mullaley ME, Cuconato AL, Drake CD, Behm DG, Button DC. An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Mar;27(3):812-21. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825c2bc1.
• Joshi DG, Balthillaya G, Prabhu A. Effect of remote myofascial release on hamstring flexibility in asymptomatic individuals - A randomized clinical trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2018 Jul;22(3):832-837. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2018.01.008. Epub 2018 Feb 17.
• Pişirici P, Ekiz MB, İlhan CA. Investigation of the acute effect of myofascial release techniques and dynamic stretch on vertical jump performance in recreationally active individuals. Journal of Physical Education and Sport. 2020;20(3):1569-1579.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 28, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): May 6, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 15, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 11, 2025
• Last Verified: June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Inflammation
• Other Study ID Numbers: Karabuk-2282

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No