Acute Effects of Different Recovery Methods on Vertical Jump, Flexibility and Sprint Performance: A Comparison of Foam Rolling, Intermittent Pneumatic Compression and Massage Gun

This study was conducted to examine the acute effects of various recovery methods on jumping, flexibility and sprint performance following an isokinetic fatigue protocol. Thirty-eight male athletes (age: 21.03 ± 1.66 years; height: 178.5 ± 6.93 cm; body weight: 73.10 ± 9.59 kg) participated in the study voluntarily. Pre-tests included the sit-and-reach test, Countermovement Jump (CMJ), Drop Jump (DJ), and a 20-meter sprint test, administered in that order. Following the pre-tests, participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: foam rolling, intermittent pneumatic compression, massage gun, or a control group. A standardized fatigue protocol was applied to all participants using a isokinetic dynamometer. After the recovery interventions, participants rested for 60 minutes under standard laboratory conditions before post-tests were conducted. The findings indicated that the group×time interaction for CMJ and DJ performance was not statistically significant (p > 0.05); however, a more pronounced performance decline was observed in the control group (CMJ: 8.76%; DJ: 9.86%). No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of sprint performance (p>0.05). In terms of flexibility, the foam rolling and intermittent pneumatic compression groups differed significantly from the control group. In conclusion, different recovery methods may contribute to maintaining certain performance parameters and may be applied during periods of intensive training and competition.