Effect of Myofascial Release on Muscular Performance - a Systematic Review

Tan, Wu Heng (2021) Effect of Myofascial Release on Muscular Performance - a Systematic Review. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

The implementation of myofascial release intervention, massage and foam roll was common in sport setting, for the purpose of physical recovery, as well as performance recovery. Although it is commonly practiced in a sport setting, its actual efficacy is still arguable. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the effect of myofascial release on muscular performance in sports athletes. Studies were retrieved from several search engines: Google Scholar, NCBI, Pubmed, Science Direct and Researchgate, that tested the effect of myofascial release on muscular performance. The muscular performance variables that were looked into were muscular strength, muscular power and muscular endurance. 20 studies were identified and the majority showed no significant effect of myofascial release on muscular strength, muscular power and muscular endurance performance. However, when the myofascial release intervention was cooperated with dynamic stretching, it showed significant effect on muscular strength and power performance. Although this systematic review finds that majority has no significant effect on muscular performance, it is somewhat efficient in muscle recovery, such as reducing DOMS, reducing the perceived muscle fatigue, enhancing the removal of blood lactate and reducing the pain rating. These findings provide the information to coaches and therapists regarding the efficiency of myofascial release interventions on muscular performance, and the implementation of the interventions for the purpose of performance improvement must be wisely considered.