Compression of Myofascial Trigger Points With a Foam Roller or Ball for Exercise-induced Anterior Knee Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of compression of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) with a foam roller or ball, combined with static stretching of knee muscles, on exercise-induced, anterior knee pain in fitness runners.

DESIGN

The research team designed a randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

The study took place in the Department of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center of the School of Kinesiology at Shanghai University of Sport in Shanghai, China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 80 participants, 28 males and 52 females with an average age of 37.2 ± 2.9 years, were recruited at the center.

INTERVENTION

The participants were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups, with 20 participants in each group: (1) the MG+SG group, which received compression with a foam roller or ball (MG) and static stretching (SG); (2) the MG group, which received compression only; (3) the SG group static, which received static stretching only; or (4) the control group (CG), which attended a 30-min class about nutrition or exercise once a month and received no intervention. For the MG intervention, participants' MTrPs were compressed with a foam roller or ball for 30 minutes once every 5 days for 2 months. After each compression, the MG+SG group received static stretching immediately.

OUTCOME MEASURES

A visual analog scale (VAS) and a participant's range of motion (ROM) of the knee were assessed at baseline, after 4 weeks of the intervention, immediately postintervention, and at a follow-up at 8 weeks postintervention. The effectiveness of the treatment in the different groups was also compared.

RESULTS

Immediately postintervention, 18 participants (90%) in MG+SG group, 12 (60%) in MG group, and 8 (40%) in the SG group were pain free. Compared with those at baseline, the VAS scores of the MG+SG group significantly improved between baseline and postintervention and were unchanged at the eight-week follow-up. In all groups, the VAS scores and ROMs of the knee increased, but only the MG+SG group's values increased significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

Compression of MTrPs with a foam roller or ball, combined with static stretching, was more effective than either the compression only or static stretching only.