Recovery and Foam Roller Method After Fatigue in Sports
Chapter from the book:
Uluç,
E.
A.
&
Uluç,
S.
(eds.)
2023.
Research on Sport Sciences- II.
Synopsis
This study aims to examine the foam roller recovery method, which is performed to reduce the fatigue that occurs in the organism after high-intensity physical exercises and to accelerate recovery. Decreases in the performance of athletes due to physical loads reveal their state of fatigue. It is important to monitor the fatigue that occurs, to control the adaptation of the athletes to training, to ensure that they are ready for competitions, and to reduce their susceptibility to sports injuries and diseases. In this case, the creation and implementation of rest programs allow the athletes to go to the next training or competition completely rested while increasing their sportive performance. Many methods are used to accelerate recovery after strenuous physical exercises. The foam roller recovery method is frequently preferred due to its increasing use in recent years, its simplicity of application, its effectiveness on the organism, and its low cost. This method, which is performed by placing the skeletal muscles on a cylindrical apparatus and moving them back and forth on the muscle with body weight, attracts great attention from physiotherapists and athletes in various fields such as rehabilitation after sports injuries. It can also be used to optimize pre-exercise warm-up protocols, improve performance, facilitate post-exercise recovery, and also treat connective tissue disorders. Studies show that the most important mechanism of action of the roller method is to provide relaxation of the muscles by separating the myofascial adhesions in the muscle tissues together with friction and to increase the tension by stimulating the tension receptors. It is also known to increase blood flow by cleaning the waste materials and toxins in the area while bringing oxygenated blood to the applied area by providing a manipulation such as deep tissue massage in the muscle tissues. As a result, the foam roller method is recommended by researchers and people working in this field to reduce fatigue and accelerate recovery as a result of high-intensity physical work.