Background: Warm up prior to participation in sports is very important. Various combination of warm up practiced in improving their performance and to prevent injury.

Vibration foam roller is combination of foam roller with vibration. Its serves as an alternative warm up method.

It helps in remobilising soft tissue and enables longer muscle length and increases blood circulation. It helps in easing muscle soreness if any during warm-up and helps in increase in their muscle performance.

Racquet sports which include badminton, tennis and squash have a high rate of injury due to repetitive activity of racquet. Hence a proper warm up prior to the game usually helps in improving their performance and prevents injury during the game. When vibration foam rolling is added to their warm up protocol it helps in longer muscle length by remobilizing soft tissue. It also helps in increasing their blood flow and circulation to the soft tissue. This in turn helps in increasing their muscle performance, which reduces risk of injuries.

AIM:

To assess immediate effect of vibration foam rolling on upper limb function in racquet sports.

OBJECTIVE

1)      To study immediate effect of conventional warm up on upper limb function in racquet sports in control group.

2)      To study immediate effect of vibration foam rolling on upper limb function in racquet sports in experimental group.

3)      To compare both the groups.

STUDY DESIGN:

A)     Type of study- Interventional study

B)     Study population- Racquet sport players

1.      Badminton players

2.      Lawn tennis players

3.      Squash players

C)     Age group- Above 10-18 years

D)     Type of sampling- Random sampling

E)     Duration of study-1 year

F)     Sample size-60

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

1.    Racquet sports (badminton, tennis, table tennis and squash) players between 10-18 years of age.

2.    1 year of experience of the sport

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Any players with neurological or musculoskeletal injury in past 6 months which would prevent them from participating in the game.

OUTCOME MEASURE:

1.      Power- Seated medicine ball throw

2.      Stability- upper limb Y-balance test

3.      Strength-Hand held dynamometer

4.      Endurance-1 minute push up test

5.      Serve velocity-radar gun

Procedure:

Ethical committee approval will be taken. The racquet sports players will be assessed for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants will be informed about the study and a written informed consent will be taken. After asking for their consent their history, pre-assessment will be done using above mentioned outcome measures. This will be followed by conventional warm-up protocol in control group and vibration foam rolling with warm-up protocol in interventional group. Immediately post assessment will be taken for both the groups. The data obtained will then be statistically analysed.