Acute effects of tissue flossing vs. neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the quadriceps femoris on countermovement jump performance

This study investigated the acute effects of a single bout of tissue flossing (TF) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) of the quadriceps femoris on countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. Twenty trained male basketball players (age 23.45 ± 2.13 years) participated in a randomized crossover study, completing an acute bout of either TF or NMES on two separate sessions. CMJ height was measured at baseline (session 1) and post-intervention (session 1 and 2), with the best of three trials in each session used for analysis. TF significantly increased CMJ height (69.71 ± 6.50 cm) compared to baseline (67.90 ± 6.38 cm; p < 0.001), while NMES significantly decreased CMJ height (66.77 ± 6.43 cm; p = 0.001). These findings suggest that TF can be a useful pre-activity intervention for acute improvement of CMJ performance. Conversely, an acute bout of NMES was detrimental to immediate CMJ performance and may not be an effective standalone pre-activity intervention.