Roller Massage and Blood Pressure

Association Between Reductions in Tissue Hardness and Acute Decreases in Blood Pressure Following Roller Massage: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial

Roller massage (RM), frequently described within the broader framework of self-myofascial release, has emerged as a widely adopted modality among rehabilitation practitioners and physically active populations. Previous investigations on RM have reported improvements in joint range of motion, small to trivial enhancements in selected performance measures, attenuation of exercise-induced muscle soreness, and reductions in pain perception. While the evidence base supporting mobility, performance, muscle soreness and pain sensitivity adaptations is relatively well developed, considerably less attention has been directed toward the blood pressure responses to RM and the potential underlying mechanisms. Consequently, the physiological impact of RM on cardiovascular regulation remains insufficiently characterized and requires further systematic investigation. An acute reduction in blood pressure may be postulated, potentially mediated by mechanisms involving changes in total peripheral resistance, which could be linked to modifications in tissue mechanical characteristics. In parallel, a contributory role of autonomic regulation cannot be excluded, as shifts in sympathetic and parasympathetic activity may also influence cardiovascular responses.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Participants; Healthy Adult Participants; Healthy Young Adults
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Roller Massage Intervention (RM)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 29
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Sicily
    • Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 90144
      • University of Palermo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy participants aged 18 years or older.

Exclusion Criteria:

• orthopedic disorders
• neurological disorders
• renal disorders
• metabolic disorders
• musculoskeletal disorders
• cardiovascular disorders
• use of antihypertensive medication.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Roller Massage Intervention (RM); The RM intervention was conducted using a Theraband® Roller Massager (The Hygenic Corporation, Akron, OH, USA). All procedures were performed exclusively on the right thigh and administered by the same investigator to ensure methodological consistency. The protocol included a total of eight sets, four per muscle group, resulting in an overall intervention duration of 4 minutes (2 minutes allocated to the hamstrings and 2 minutes to the quadriceps). Each muscle group underwent four sets of 30 rolling repetitions executed at a controlled cadence of one repetition per second, yielding 30 seconds of continuous rolling per set.	Other: Roller Massage Intervention (RM); The RM intervention was conducted using a Theraband® Roller Massager (The Hygenic Corporation, Akron, OH, USA). All procedures were performed exclusively on the right thigh and administered by the same investigator to ensure methodological consistency. The protocol included a total of eight sets, four per muscle group, resulting in an overall intervention duration of 4 minutes (2 minutes allocated to the hamstrings and 2 minutes to the quadriceps). Each muscle group underwent four sets of 30 rolling repetitions executed at a controlled cadence of one repetition per second, yielding 30 seconds of continuous rolling per set.
No Intervention: Passive Control Session; During the passive control condition, participants remained in a supine position on a standard medical examination bed for 8 minutes. This duration was matched to the total time required for the RM protocol, thereby ensuring temporal equivalence between conditions. Throughout the period between the T0 and T1 assessments, no active interventions were administered.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Blood Pressure	Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed in the supine position using a validated automated oscillometric monitor (Omron MX3 Plus; Omron Healthcare, model HEM-742-E). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) were subsequently derived using conventional formulas.	- Day 1: Baseline (upon arrival) and immediately post-intervention; - Day 2: Baseline (upon arrival) and immediately post-intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Heart rate variability	Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded with participants resting supine on a medical examination table for an additional 5 minutes under quiet and controlled conditions. During this recording phase, beat-to-beat RR intervals were continuously monitored using a validated Polar H10 chest-strap heart rate sensor (Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland). HRV metrics were derived from both time-domain and frequency-domain analyses, providing a comprehensive evaluation of cardiac autonomic modulation.	- Day 1: Baseline (upon arrival) and immediately post-intervention; - Day 2: Baseline (upon arrival) and immediately post-intervention.
Tissue Hardness	Tissue hardness (TH) was quantified in Newton using a portable tissue hardness meter (NEUTONE TDM-N1; TRY-ALL Corp., Chiba, Japan). For hamstring evaluation, the ischial tuberosity and the popliteal fossa were used as proximal and distal anatomical reference points, respectively. Two measurement sites were identified within the proximal third of the posterior right thigh: a lateral site corresponding to the biceps femoris and a medial site corresponding to the semitendinosus/semimembranosus complex. Quadriceps TH was assessed using the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) as the proximal landmark, and the superior border of the patella as the distal landmark. (1) the midpoint between the ASIS and the superior patellar border, and (2) a point located at the proximal third of the same linear distance.	- Day 1: Baseline (upon arrival) and immediately post-intervention; - Day 2: Baseline (upon arrival) and immediately post-intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Palermo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 12, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): July 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 2, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stiffness; heart rate variability; cardiovascular health; massage roller; peripheral resistance
• Other Study ID Numbers: RM-BP 60625-2025

Drug and device information, study documents

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