Effects of Cryotherapy and Foam Rolling Recovery Methods on Performance and Muscle Damage Indices in Young Male Soccer Players After Simulated Soccer Match

 Research is limited on the effectiveness of various post-soccer match recovery methods.

 This study aimed to investigate the effects of active recovery methods on performance and muscle damage indices in young male soccer players.

 In this study, 21 male subjects (age 16.95 ± 2, height 175.29 ± 4, weight 65.99 ± 5) were selected and divided randomly into three recovery groups after a simulated soccer match. Foam roller recovery included massaging various muscle groups using a foam roller. Recovery by immersion in cold water involved immersing the body up to the neck in cold water at 15 °C. In inactive recovery, the subjects had no activity. The Yo-Yo recovery test, Sargent jump test, 20-m speed test, lactometer, and ELISA tests were used to measure the variables of aerobic power, explosive power, speed, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatinine kinase, respectively. A two-way ANOVA test with repeated measures was used to determine the differences at a confidence interval of 95%.

 A significant difference was observed between the foam roller recovery group and the control group 24 hours after the simulated soccer match in muscle damage indices (P value < 0.05). However, in the active recovery group comparison, no significant difference was observed in the performance indices (P value < 0.05).

 It seems that foam rolling recovery can be used as a useful way to accelerate recovery compared to water immersion recovery through a reduction in inflammatory responses.