Self-Myofascial Release (SMFR) is a type of massage during which a person applies mechanical pressure towards certain muscles, usually using a so‑called foam roller and their own body weight to do so. SMFR compresses the fascial system beneath the skin, transferring the force towards the underlying muscles, leading to a more relaxed and stretched muscular tissue. Because of these effects SMFR recently increased in popularity, especially among athletes for stretching during warm‑up or cool-down. In order to integrate SMFR during exercise, the German company FALKE developed special clothing stimulating the fascial system. By adding special nodes to a compression shirt, it should trigger the effects of SMFR during exercise. This study investigated the effects of the FALKE compression shirt in calisthenics training. Ten healthy subjects completed a workout with the compression shirt and one without it. Tissue stiffness and proprioception were measured at different points on the subjects‘ backs (m. trapezius (pars descendens), m. latissimus dorsi, fascia thoracolumbalis). One measuring series was completed before the respective intervention, the other one after it. Results indicate slight improvements regarding tissue stiffness of m. trapezius (p = 0,036; d = 0,779) and proprioception of fascia thoracolumbalis (p = 0,180; d = 0,460) using the FALKE shirt. While no significant changes were detected in the other measuring points, the results still indicate a potentially better regeneration after physical exercise and should be considered as the basis to further investigation.
