Do I Need a Grid (Bumpy) Foam Roller?

Foam rolling seems to be effective for enhancing lactate clearance and counteracting DOMS, but the TYPE of foam roller does NOT seem to influence the recovery rate.

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Here are the details:

 

This  study aimed to determine the effect of foam rolling on the rate of lactate removal and DOMS prevention & whether the TYPE of foam roller is effective in the context of post-exercise recovery. #iLoveSportsRecovery

Methods: Randomized trial enrolled 33 active healthy males divided into 3 groups of 11 individuals: foam rolling with a smooth (STH) or grid roller (GRID) or passive recovery (PAS).

 

All the participants performed full squat jumps for 1-minute.

Examination took place at rest (thermal imaging of skin temperature-[Tsk] and blood lactate-[LA]), immediately following exercise (Tsk & LA), immediately after recovery treatment (Tsk) and after 30 minutes of rest (Tsk & LA). Their pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after exercise.

 

Results: The magnitude of lactate decrease depended on the type of recovery used. In the PAS group, the decrease in lactate concentration by 2.65 mmol/L following a half-hour rest was significantly lower than that in the other groups (STH vs. PAS p = 0.042 / GRID vs. PAS p = 0.025).

 

For thermal responses, significant differences between both experimental groups were noted only 30 minutes after exercise. A significant decrease in pain in the STH group occurred between 48 and 96 hours, while the GRID group showed a systematic significant decrease in VAS values in subsequent measurements.

 

Changes in VAS values in subsequent measurements in the PAS group were not statistically significant (p>0.05).