Recovery effects of foam rolling on psychophysiological responses in Thai national male ice hockey players

We examined the short-term effects of foam rolling (FR), dynamic stretching (DS), and passive rest (PR) following simulated ice hockey exercise (IHE) on heart rate (HR), blood lactate (BL), leg choice reaction time (CRTleg), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and global rating of change (GRC) in elite ice hockey players. The study followed a randomized cross-over design. Fifteen national male ice hockey players were assigned to the FR, DS, or PR interventions for 10 mins following 35-min of simulated IHE. HR and BL were obtained at 0-, 5- and 10-min post-intervention. CRTleg and RPE were assessed pre-and post-intervention. GRC was evaluated post-intervention. The PR decreased HR faster than the DS at 5 min post-treatment. Whereas the FR and DS reduced BL levels faster than the PR at 5- and 10-min post-treatment. There was no difference in CRTleg among the FR, DS, and PR. The FR had lower RPE scores compared to the DS and PR post-treatment. As perceptual aspects, the FR was the most preferred treatment by ice hockey athletes. The FR and DS exerted more beneficial effects on BL but not on HR by the passive rest. The FR showed the most effective treatment on the psychological demands by improving RPE and perceptual responses over the DS and PR. Thus, the FR could be used as a choice for post-game recovery treatment on improving physiological and perceptual responses following an intense match-play in ice hockey players