Immediate effect of foam roller on pain and ankle range of motion in patients with plantar fasciitis: A randomized controlled trial.
Aishwarya R Ranbhor, Ashish J Prabhakar, Charu Eapen
PMID 34054254WHAT IT FOUND
Both foam rolling and self-stretching immediately reduced pain and improved ankle range in plantar fasciitis.
Foam rolling was superior to stretching for increasing pressure pain tolerance in the calf muscles, but not for the plantar fascia or overall pain scores.
Key findings
01Both interventions significantly reduced pain and improved ankle range of motion within their respective groups immediately after treatment.
02Foam rolling resulted in greater improvements in pressure pain tolerance for the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles compared to self-stretching.
03There was no significant difference between foam rolling and self-stretching for pain intensity (VAS), plantar fascia pressure pain tolerance, or ankle range of motion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study measured only immediate effects after a single session, so it does not show which treatment is better for long-term recovery. The pressure applied during foam rolling varied between participants based on body weight and tolerance, which may have influenced the calf muscle results. Participants were not blinded to the intervention, which could affect subjective pain scores.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and the study received no specific funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume foam rolling is superior for all symptoms. It only outperformed stretching for calf muscle pressure tolerance; for general heel pain and ankle stiffness, both methods were equally effective in this single-session trial.