Acute Effects of Foam Rolling and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching

Hamstring flexibility (mm) will be evaluated with the sit-reach test. Baseline® Sit and Reach Flexibility Measurement device will be used for testing. Participants will sit on the floor with their lower extremities extended and together; Their backs and hips will be supported against the wall, and the soles of their feet will be placed on the edge of the device. Participants will then extend their arms forward, with both hands facing down and one hand on top of the other (always the same hand on top). Participants will then be asked to lie forward and slide their hands as far as possible on the measurement scale without bending their knees. Measurements will be repeated three times and the average value will be recorded.

Strength measurement of the participants' Hamstring muscles will be made using a digital hand dynamometer (J Tech Commender Muscle Tester). Participants will be instructed to sit in a fairly upright position in a chair, with their arms crossed in front of their chest and their legs hanging over the edge, with their knees and hips flexed at 90°. For isometric knee flexion muscle measurement evaluation, the dynamometer will be placed in the sural triceps region (5 cm proximal to the lateral malleolus). Participants press the dynamometer as hard as possible for three seconds, while the assessor will provide resistance, preventing any movement to achieve an isometric contraction.

An algometer (Dolorimeter) will be used to objectively measure pain threshold and pain tolerance. The pain threshold value due to the pressure to be applied to the hamstring muscle and waist area will be measured using an electronic algometer (Algometer, Baseline FDK 10) while the athlete is in a prone position on the bed. The algometer will be applied vertically to the most painful point, increasing the pressure by 1kg/cm2 every three seconds until the patient feels pain. The pressure value that causes the feeling of pain will be determined as the pain threshold.

A vertical jump test will be performed to evaluate the participants' lower extremity muscle strength. The measurement has two stages; measuring reach height, measuring jump height.

• Measuring reach height: The athlete stands with his feet flat on the ground. He/she is asked to raise his/her arms up from the side of the body. The point his fingers reach is recorded.
• Measuring the jump height: The athlete is asked to move away from the wall. The starting position is with feet shoulder-width apart and knees extended. After the hips and knees are bent, the athlete is asked to jump. The athlete reaches the highest point he can reach with his hands. The length of this point is recorded.