The effectiveness of foam rolling with and without vibration and static stretching on range of motion, muscle strength and proprioception of the ankle joint in adults with chronic ankle instability

Background

People with chronic ankle instability (CAI) have insufficient ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (DFROM) and decreases proprioception and muscle strength. Foam roller with and without vibration as a warm-up intervention may have benefits for healthy populations, but the effect on applied to injured individuals is still lacking, especially in CAI. Therefore, we aimed to compare the acute effects of three warm-up interventions, including vibration foam rolling (VR), foam rolling (FR), and static stretching (SS) in adults with CAI.

Methods

This study was a randomized, counterbalanced crossover trial. Eligible sixteen adults with CAI received all three interventions (VR, FR, and SS) in unilateral CAI leg in a randomized order. Each intervention included 6 sets, 30 s each, targeting the ankle dorsiflexors and plantarflexors, with a 30-s rest time in between. Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (DFROM), muscle strength, and ankle proprioception were measured before and immediately after each intervention.

Results

VR significantly improved ankle DFROM and muscle strength by over 30% compared to the pre-intervention, whereas FR improved DFROM by 23.68%, and SS did not improve DFROM. Additionally, VR was more significantly effective than SS in improving ankle DFROM and maximal strength. The ankle joint repositioning error angle did not have significantly different.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that VR and FR interventions may be incorporated into warm-ups for adults with CAI to improve ankle DFROM. Furthermore, VR offers additional benefits in increasing muscle strength, especially compared to SS.