The Effects of Different Recovery Methods on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in Hearing Impaired Athletes

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of foam roller (FR), dynamic stretching (DS), and passive recovery (PR) on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate variability (HRV) in hearing-impaired athletes after submaximal exercise. Twelve congenital (sensorineural) hearing impaired (>91dB) basketball players aged between 18-30 participated in the study voluntarily. Participants were randomly divided into 3 groups consisting of 4 subjects, and 3 different recovery methods after submaximal treadmill running exercises were performed in a cross-over design. BP and HRV parameters of the participants were measured at 4 different times, (i) pre-exercise, (ii) post-exercise, (ııı) during recovery, and (iv) after recovery. Data were analyzed with a two-way analysis of variance test for repeated measurements (3 groups x 4 times). There was a significant increase in RMSSD and HF compared to PR after the FR recovery and in 10-minute after recovery (p<0.05). There was a significant decrease in LF at 10 min after recovery exercise in FR compared to PR (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between DS and FR and between DS and PR in neither BP nor HRV parameters (p>0.05). The FR recovery method applied after submaximal exercise in hearing-impaired basketball players significantly improved HRV compared to PR. Performing FR recovery exercises in the post-exercise or post-competition period may positively affect HRV. FR exercise can be recommended to coaches and athletes as a method of recovery after post-submaximal exercises.