The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Foam Rolling and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in Vocational Dance Students / Alyssa Pardoe (2023)

This work explores the effects of a foam rolling intervention on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in a sample of vocational dance students. An investigation into both the physiological and psychological effects of this condition are included. Participants were tested in a randomized, control trial design, with a mixed-methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Data was collected across three time points (Baseline, 24-HR, 48-HR) and measurements included the VAS pain identification scale, range of motion (ROM) testing, countermovement jump (CMJ) height testing, reactive strength index (RSI) testing, and a questionnaire. Our results revealed that there was a significant difference of perceived soreness across time for all participants indicating that the dancers became more sore over the 3 data collection points, confirming that DOMS was successfully induced with an adapted, eccentric focused calf raise protocol [F (2,12) = 11.197, p = .002, 𝜼p2 = .651]. No statistically significant differences were found between the control (CON) and foam roll (FR) groups in perceived soreness data, however a visual analysis of the data revealed trends that suggest that the foam rolling intervention did have positive effects on the dancers’ perception of muscle soreness. The FR intervention did not significantly improve physical performance in ROM, CMJ, and RSI measures. These results suggest that while a FR intervention may not positively affect a dancer’s physical performance while experiencing DOMS, it may have a positive influence on how they perceive the intensity of their soreness, and therefore provide a psychological benefit to recovery. Additionally, our qualitative findings revealed that the experience of DOMS negatively affects a dancer’s perception of their performance, and overall, dancers perceive this condition to have a negative impact on their effort, training, and enjoyment.

Key words: DOMS, Foam Rolling, Dancers, Perception, Performance