Does a short intervention with vibration foam roller recover lifeguards better after a water rescue? A pilot study

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a recovery program based on foam roller with and without vibration on blood lactate clearance and perceived fatigue after a water rescue.

A quasi-experimental crossover design was carried out to compare passive (PR) recovery and a short protocol of foam roller (FR) and vibration foam roller (VFR) recovery after a 100 m water rescue in 7 volunteer lifeguards. Blood lactate and perceived exertion were measured before and after the rescue, and also after the 5-min recovery intervention.

Blood lactate levels decrease significantly with foam roller (p = 0.013; effect size = 0.97) and vibration foam roller recovery (p < 0.001; effect size = 1.62). Passive recovery did not show significant differences clearing out blood lactate. Fatigue perceived decrease significantly with all the recovery methods, but foam roller has higher effects on the global fatigue and VFR on the legs.

FR and VFR clear out more blood lactate and decrease fatigue more than PR, with the subsequently increase of the physical conditioning to perform another effort.