Acute effects of self-myofascial release and stretching in overhead athletes with GIRD

Objective To examine the acute effects of self-myofascial release (SMR), static stretching (SS), and the combination of self-myofascial release and static stretching (SMR + SS) on glenohumeral internal rotation range of motion (GH IR ROM) in overhead athletes with glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD). Participants Twelve asymptomatic adult male amateur softball position players exhibiting GIRD. Results All three methods significantly improved GH IR ROM. Post hoc testing revealed that SS alone and SMR + SS improved GH IR ROM significantly more than SMR alone. However, there were no significant differences in GH IR ROM between SS alone and SMR + SS. Conclusions If an athlete has a limited time to perform a warm-up (e.g., 3–4 min), SS alone is recommended to improve GH IR ROM. However, if the athlete has more time available to warm up (e.g., 7–8 min), combining SMR + SS may result in a greater increase in GH IR ROM.