Effectiveness of myofascial release technique on performance parameters and injury risk in young basketball players: a randomized controlled trial

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the effects of myofascial release technique (MFR) on vertical jump, agility, balance, and injury risk related to the quality of functional movement execution in young basketball players.Material and Methods: Sixty male athletes were randomly selected and divided into groups.Demographic information was collected from members of each group.Functional movement screen test (FMS), agility t-test, vertical jump test, and star excursion balance test (SEBT) were applied.The intervention group (n=30) received the MFR technique applied twice a week for six weeks before routine training; the control group (n=30) received no intervention.Final evaluations were conducted for both groups six weeks after the initial assessments.Results: Sixty athletes (mean age: 11.5 1.4 years; mean body weight: 44.5 11.5 kg; mean height: 146 12.8 cm; mean BMI: 19.71 2.67 kg/m) participated in the study.A statistically significant difference was found between the control and intervention groups in FMS total score, agility t-test, vertical jump test, and SEBT (p < 0.001).Regarding FMS parameters, a significant difference was observed (p < 0.05) in the deep squat, hurdle step, shoulder mobility, and active straight leg raise movements.Discussion: The findings of this study indicated that implementing the MFR technique twice a week for six weeks before training was an effective approach for increasing vertical jump, dynamic balance, and agility performances in young basketball players while positively affecting the risk of injury.