1. Introduction
injuries
Sport is a science of constant reinvention that is always searching for strategies to improve performance. Objective: This study seeks to compare the effects of myofascial release with Findings-Oriented Orthopedic Manual Therapy (OMT) combined with Foam Roller (FR), versus FR by itself, on the physical performance of university athletes. A randomized controlled study was conducted with a total of twenty-nine university athletes, measuring Range of Motion (ROM), jump height and flight time, strength and dynamic flexibility using Goniometer pro, CMJ protocol in OptoGait, 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM) and Mean Propulsive Velocity (MPV) and the Sit and Reach (V) test, correspondingly. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov prior to the initial measurement of the participants under the code NCT05347303. Through a univariate analysis, together with an analysis of independent groups with ANOVA and an analysis of covariance, it was evidenced that OMT combined with FR generated more and better effects in all the evaluated ROM, jump height and flight time, RM and VMP tests. Finally, it was found that OMT combined with FR is better when it is desired to improve ROM, muscle power, strength and flexibility, while FR alone only improves dynamic flexibility.Sport is considered an important part of human development because it articulates different characteristics, such as competitiveness and teamwork, in addition to developing physical capacities, such as strength, speed and endurance [University sports have become increasingly competitive, which leads to an increase in the physical demands of the sport. For example, in team sports, such as field soccer, volleyball and basketball, the development of different physical qualities, i.e., strength, endurance, speed and flexibility, are required [In basketball, field soccer and volleyball, vertical jumps have an important role, being a physical capacity of great relevance that has led to multiple researchers seeking to develop methods that induce improvements in terms of performance in relation to this variable [While strength and power are focused on performance, flexibility, either static, measured through the Range of Motion (ROM), or dynamic, measured from tests, such as the sit and reach in V, are more related to the incidence of injuries, to which athletes with worse flexibility are therefore more susceptible [OMT is a physical therapy specialty that focuses on the evaluation and treatment of neuromusculoskeletal pathologies based on highly specific techniques combined with a correct planning of physical activity, approaching the subject from a holistic perspective [The development of strategies to improve the different capacities previously mentioned is a necessity in any sport. Although there are studies where OMT is used to improve variables associated with sport such as ROM [