Introduction: Myofascial release is a soft tissue release technique that aims to reduce adhesions in the fascial tissue layers of muscles. In myofascial release with foam rolling, the person exerts direct interval pressure with their body weight, which is thought to increase circulation and remove metabolic products, thereby restoring muscle performance, reducing muscle fatigue after exercise, and preventing sports-related damage of the quadriceps femoris muscle. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the medical literature to present the effects of soft tissue mobilisation with a foam roller on quadriceps femoris performance. Methods: The literature search was conducted in the PubMed electronic database. The keywords in English were used in the search: 'foam rolling' AND 'performance'. Randomised controlled trials published after 2014 involving healthy subjects who did not exercise professionally were included in the review. Results: Four randomised crossover trials and one randomised controlled trial were analysed according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess muscle performance, countermovement jump height, maximum voluntary isometric quadriceps femoris contraction and isometric quadriceps femoris force were measured in the studies. Three studies showed a statistically significant improvement in quadriceps femoris performance after intervention, and one showed a statistically significant deterioration. In one study there were no statistically significant differences between pre- and post-intervention measurements. Discussion and conclusion: Based on the studies analysed, it can be concluded that myofascial release with a foam roller is an effective technique to improve quadriceps femoris muscle performance after exercise-induced muscle damage. When applied before exercise, it should not lead to a deterioration in quadriceps femoris muscle performance if the muscle is warmed up beforehand. However, further research is needed in the future to compare different protocols for foam rolling and to extend the research to the long-term use and effects of this technique of myofascial release of the quadriceps femoris muscle.
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