Research

Mixed

Performing 20 minutes of foam rolling immediately post-exercise and every 24 hours for 48 hours reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and preserves dynamic performance measures (sprint, power, strength-endurance) compared to no intervention.

If you have a hard workout that leaves you sore, spend 20 minutes foam rolling your legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes, IT band) immediately after, then again the next day, and the day after. Use your body weight to apply pressure, moving slowly (about 1 roll per second). This simple routine helps reduce soreness and keeps your speed and power closer to normal for the next few days.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Foam rolling effectively reduced DOMS and associated decrements in most dynamic performance measures.
Gregory E. P. Pearcey et al. · Journal of Athletic Training · 2014

Why this rating

Small sample size (n=8), healthy young males, controlled lab setting, but rigorous repeated-measures design.

Source

Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures

Gregory E. P. Pearcey et al. · Journal of Athletic Training · 2014

DOI 10.4085/1062-6050-50.1.01

crossover · n=8Cited 336×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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