Introduction: Delayed onset muscle soreness is a common occurrence, it is a consequence of micro muscle damage which arise after physical activity, especially after eccentric muscle work. The symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness appear 12 – 24 hours after physical activity and usually peak within the first 72 hours. One of the interventions, that is supposed to be effective in minimizing symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness is myofascial release with foam rollers. It is a technique of self-massage, where individuals use their body mass to apply pressure on soft tissue structures. There is evidence, that besides lowering the perception of delayed onset muscle soreness, myofascial release is also effective in increasing range of motion and lowering acute muscle stiffness. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work is to review the efficiency of myofascial release with foam rolling on reducing delayed onset muscle soreness. Methods: The literature search was proceeded through the PubMed article browser with the different combinations of keywords: »delayed onset muscle soreness«, »foam rolling«, »myofascial release«, »exercise induced muscle damage« in »muscle recovery«. We have searched for the articles published between years 2011 and 2021. Research that was included were randomized controlled trials and the ones where subjects under investigation were divided into control and foam rolling group. All the people included in analysed articles were healthy young adults without any injuries. Results: Seven articles were included in this literature review. In every analysed article exercised induced muscle damage protocols were performed to achieve delayed onset muscle soreness. In six articles comparisons were made between control group and intervention group, in which foam rolling protocols were performed. In one research they also compared effects of normal and vibration foam roller. In six out of seven research results have shown that people in intervention groups had reported greater decrease in perception of muscle pain compared to people in control group. Discussion and conclusion: From the current available results regarding efficiency of foam rolling on decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness we can conclude that it could be efficient. Although the results are limited only on healthy young adults. Regardless, some additional research are needed for clearer guided lines regarding therapeutic parameters.
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