Selective Effect of Foam Rolling and Manual Massage (AUTOMASSEEG)

Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité

Status: Completed

Conditions: Health Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health, Subjective

Treatments: Behavioral: Mental calculation task; Device: Resting-state electroencephalography; Other: Psychometric ratings (Likert-scale); Device: Resting-state galvanic skin resistance measures; Behavioral: Range of motion measures

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04859140

LIBMNEURO - AUTOMASSEEG

Details and patient eligibility

About

The present double-blinded randomized controlled design aims at comparing the effects of a full-body manual massage and foam rolling intervention. Sixty-five healthy individuals were randomly allocated to foam rolling, manual massage or a control intervention consisting in an autogenic relaxation routine.

Full description

Self-report ratings of perceived anxiety, muscle pain and relaxation were the psychometric outcome variables. Sit-and-reach, toes-touch and mental calculation performances were the behavioral variables. Resting-state alpha and beta power recorded using electroencephalography and galvanic skin resistance measures were the neurophysiological outcome variables.

Enrollment: 65 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Regular practice of foam rolling (10 min routines, 2-3 times per week over the past 6 months)

Exclusion criteria

• Chronic medical conditions including functional limitations that might affect proprioception and/or pain perception

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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65 participants in 3 patient groups

Foam rolling

Experimental group

Description:

The foam rolling routine consisted in unilateral exercises alternatively performed on both legs and bilateral exercises on lower and back muscles. All participants started with the feet in a standing up position with a lacrosse ball. Then, participants performed on the ground the foam rolling exercises with the foam roller targeting leg and back muscles.

Treatment:

Device: Resting-state galvanic skin resistance measures

Behavioral: Mental calculation task

Other: Psychometric ratings (Likert-scale)

Device: Resting-state electroencephalography

Behavioral: Range of motion measures

Manual massage

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in the manual massage group received manual massage by a professional physiotherapist who was blinded to the purpose of the experiment (20 years of registered practice). Participants were lying in the prone position on a massage table. To facilitate the physiotherapist's maneuvers, massage oil was used. The manual massage protocol reproduced several features of the foam rolling intervention, i.e., order of the areas massaged, massage time per muscles and total duration of the session.

Treatment:

Device: Resting-state galvanic skin resistance measures

Behavioral: Mental calculation task

Other: Psychometric ratings (Likert-scale)

Device: Resting-state electroencephalography

Behavioral: Range of motion measures

Autogenic relaxation

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants in the relaxation group listened to a 16 min relaxation audio tape, based on the autogenic training method. Participants were lying on the massage table in supine position, wearing headphones. During this desensitization-relaxation technique, they were guided to visualize bodily perceptions of heaviness and warmth in their arms, thorax and legs. To facilitate concentration, participants were left alone in a dark room.

Treatment:

Device: Resting-state galvanic skin resistance measures

Behavioral: Mental calculation task

Other: Psychometric ratings (Likert-scale)

Device: Resting-state electroencephalography

Behavioral: Range of motion measures