Acute Effects of Tissue Flossing on Muscle Properties and Jump Performance in Handball

Acute Effects of Tissue Flossing on the Viscoelastic Properties of the Muscles and Jump Performance in Handball Players: a Crossover Design

Purpose of the Study This study looked at how two popular warm-up techniques-tissue flossing and foam rolling-affect muscle flexibility, muscle properties, and jumping ability in young male handball players. The goal was to see which method might be better for preparing athletes for performance.

What Are These Techniques?

Tissue flossing: Wrapping a special elastic band tightly around a muscle or joint for a short time while moving. This temporarily reduces blood flow, and when the band is removed, blood rushes back in, which may boost muscle readiness.

Foam rolling: Using your body weight to roll muscles over a firm foam cylinder. This applies pressure to the muscle and fascia, helping to relax tight areas and increase flexibility.

Who Took Part? 30 male handball players, around 17 years old, who were healthy and injury-free. None had regularly used tissue flossing or foam rolling before.

How Was the Study Done?

Each player tried all three conditions on separate days:

Tissue flossing

Foam rolling

Control (no special technique, just exercises)

Before and after each session, the researchers measured:

Active range of motion (AROM) - how far they could move their leg muscles without help

Muscle properties - stiffness and tone of key thigh muscles

Jump performance - height and speed of force production in a countermovement jump

Measurements were taken before, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after each warm-up.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Tissue Flossing
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Tissue Flossing conditioning; Other: Foam Rolling

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Czechia
  • Prague, Czechia, 261 01
    • Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Self-identified male
• Aged approximately 16-18 years
• Active handball player with at least 8 years of playing experience
• Currently healthy with no injuries in the past 3 months
• Able to perform physical activity and complete all testing procedures
• No prior regular use of tissue flossing (TF) or foam rolling (FR) techniques

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current or recent (within 3 months) musculoskeletal injury
• Any medical condition that would limit safe participation in exercise testing
• Previous experience with tissue flossing (TF) or regular use of foam rolling (FR)
• Inability to follow study instructions or complete all sessions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tissue Flossing conditioning; Tissue flossing using a 5 cm x 3.5 m green Sanctband Comprefloss band was wrapped around the thigh area. After the floss band was applied, the participants did 10 bodyweight squats, making sure to bend their knees to a 90-degree angle. Next, they did 10 dynamic lunges on each leg, switching legs after each lunge. After finishing these exercises, the floss band was removed.	Other: Tissue Flossing conditioning; Tissue flossing using a 5 cm x 3.5 m green Sanctband Comprefloss band was wrapped around the thigh area. After the floss band was applied, the participants did 10 bodyweight squats, making sure to bend their knees to a 90-degree angle. Next, they did 10 dynamic lunges on each leg, switching legs after each lunge. After finishing these exercises, the floss band was removed.
Experimental: Foam rolling conditioning; Each participant rolled the quadriceps on the right, then the left, for 30 seconds each, and did the same for the hamstrings, starting with the right and then the left, also for 30 seconds each side.	Other: Foam Rolling; Using a firm foam roller to roll the quadriceps and hamstrings for 30 seconds per side.
No Intervention: No intervention; Participants perform standard dynamic warm-up exercises (bodyweight squats and lunges) with no additional device or treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Active Range of Motion	Measured using the Active Knee Extension (AKE) test for both legs to assess hamstring flexibility.	Before the intervention, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Jump Performance - Jump Height	Height achieved in a countermovement jump (CMJ) without arm swing, measured with a force plate.	Before the intervention, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after the intervention.
Jump Performance - Braking Rate of Force Development	The rate at which force is developed during the braking phase of the CMJ, measured via force plate.	Before the intervention, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after the intervention.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Viscoelastic Muscle Properties - Stiffness	Muscle stiffness of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) in both legs, measured with the MyotonPRO device	Before the intervention, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after the intervention.
Viscoelastic Muscle Properties - Tone	Muscle tone (oscillation frequency) of the RF, VL, and BF in both legs, measured with the MyotonPRO device.	Before the intervention, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Charles University, Czech Republic

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 10, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 3, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): June 3, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 15, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 13, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 29, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 13, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Tissue Flossing; Myofascial Release Therapy; Foam rolling
• Other Study ID Numbers: 177/2020

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data (IPD) that underlie the results reported in this article will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author (anna.pisz@ftvs.cuni.cz). Data will be available immediately following publication, with no end date.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

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