The effect of the MyoStorm heated vibration ball on pain andperformance with an examination of underlying mechanisms

Foam rollers are popular devices used for training and rehabilitation and have been extensively investigated in the literature. Research has shown that foam rollers can increase range of motion, alleviate myofascial and muscle pain with no impairments and in some cases improvements in
subsequent muscular performance. Vibrating rollers have also been introduced but there are few studies investigating their effectiveness. Heat is an ubiquitous treatment modality used in therapy to increase blood flow and accelerate recovery. The MyoStorm meteor ball is a novel device which incorporates all three modalities (i.e. rolling, vibration and heat). It is unknown whether there are multiplicative effects of combining the three modalities. Hence, the objective of the present series of investigations will be to evaluate the effectiveness of these modalities in isolation and combination as incorporated with the MyoStorm meteor ball on range of motion, pain, muscle strength, power and endurance as well as muscle activation. Furthermore, possible changes in muscle architecture will be examined with ultrasound through B-mode imaging and shear wave elastography).

Faculty Supervisor:

David G Behm;Duane C Button

Student:

Shahab Alizadeh

Partner:

ProActive Physiotherapy

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland