Effects of myofascial release of the ankle plantar flexors on static postural balance of young men: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Myofascial release (MR) has been widely used in sports and clinical environment. There are studies that have already evaluated the effect of MR on postural control, however, the data found are inconclusive.

Objectives: Investigate the effect of MR on ankle plantar flexor muscles over static postural balance.

Method: Sixty-five young men were randomized allocated into one of three groups: 1) MR group (n = 25, Myofascial Release); 2) Sham (n = 25, fake intervention); or 3) Control group (n = 15). Both MR and Sham techniques were applied during 5 min in the ankle flexors of each leg. The bipodal static postural balance test was performed before and 2 min post each intervention on a force plate with eyes closed during the test. All subjects performed 3 sets of 30-s with 1 min of rest. Mean values to the center of pressure velocity (COPvel) was used for analysis.

Results: The bipodal balance test showed that there was no significant difference between groups (p > 0.05), but there was a significant time effect (p < 0.05). A significant decrease (p < 0.05) in post-test COPvel (cm.s) values (sham 4.9 ± 1.2; MR 4.5 ± 0.6; CON 4.22 ± 0.8) was found when compared to values of pre-test (sham 5.3 ± 1.0; MR 5.0 ± 0.8; CON 4.94 ± 1.3) for all groups.

Conclusions: The results demonstrated that MR performed on ankle flexors did not affect static postural balance in young man. This study is a clinical trial (Register Number: RBR-48k5jm).