Ankle dorsiflexion (DF) range of motion (ROM) restriction has been implicated in lower extremity overuse injuries. Self-myofascial release (SMR) is suggested to improve ROM, potentially decreasing injury incidence. Previous studies indicate that when comparing SMR and static stretching, foam rolling produced significantly greater short-term flexibility than static stretching. Previous studies show that a standing gastrocnemius stretch results in greater ankle DF ROM in females as compared to males. Currently no studies exist comparing DF gains between sexes following foam rolling. The purpose of this study is to investigate if foam rolling increases static and/or dynamic ankle DF ROM in females vs. males. The hypothesis is that females will demonstrate greater gains in static/dynamic ankle DF ROM than males after foam rolling. The participants' static/dynamic ankle DF will be measured pre and post gastrocnemius foam rolling protocol using a biplane goniometer and bubble inclinometer. The ROM gains of both sexes will be assessed using a Repeated Measures ANOVA with p ≤ 0.05.
