The Effect of Recovery Strategies on Contractile Properties Using Tensiomyography and Perceived Muscle Soreness in Professional Soccer Players

Soccer is the most played sport worldwide, with over 265 million participants. It is an incredibly demanding sport, with many different technical skills and physical loads placed on the body. This makes post-match recovery strategies amongst high level soccer players of great importance. The aim of this review is to summarize the existing literature on stretching for post-match recovery, examining its relation to injury prevention, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), and performance. Scientific evidence of the highest quality and relevance was extracted and reviewed. Despite its common practice, evidence does not support static stretching as a modality to improve recovery post-match amongst soccer players. Larger trials with important outcome measures are needed to determine if a post-match stretching regimen to facilitate recovery exists.

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Association Between Match Activity Variables, Measures of Fatigue and Neuromuscular Performance Capacity Following Elite Competitive Soccer Matches

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.1515/hukin-2017-0093 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 93-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ian Varley ◽

Ryan Lewin ◽

Robert Needham ◽

Robin T. Thorpe ◽

Ross Burbeary

Keyword(s):

Creatine Kinase ◽

Muscle Soreness ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Countermovement Jump ◽

Jump Performance ◽

Performance Capacity ◽

Neuromuscular Performance ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Activity Variables

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between match activity variables, subsequent fatigue and neuromuscular performance capacity in elite soccer players. Subjects (n = 10) were professional soccer players participating in the English Championships. Match activity variables and markers of fatigue status were measured before and following two matches. Creatine kinase (CK) and muscle soreness were measured at baseline, immediately following, as well as 40 and 64 h post-match. Countermovement jump performance and perceived ratings of wellness were measured at baseline, then 40 and 64 h post-match. Relationships were shown between CK and the total number of accelerations and decelerations immediately (r = 0.63; large), 40 h (r = 0.45; moderate) and 64 h post-match (r = 0.35; moderate) (p < 0.05). Relationships between CK and total sprint distance (r = 0.39; moderate) and the number of sprints (r = 0.35; moderate) 40 h post-match (p < 0.05) were observed. Furthermore, relationships were shown between the perceived rating of wellness and number of accelerations 40 (r = 0.52; large) and 64 h (r = 0.40; moderate) post-match, sprint distance 40 h post-match (r = 0.40; moderate) and the total number of sprints 40 h post-match (r = 0.51; large) (p < 0.05). The quantification of match activity variables, particularly the total number of accelerations and decelerations and the number of sprints, provides insights into the fatigue status in elite soccer players 40 and 64 h post-match.

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Tart Cherry Juice: No Effect on Muscle Function Loss or Muscle Soreness in Professional Soccer Players After a Match

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance ◽

10.1123/ijspp.2019-0221 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 249-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Will Abbott ◽

Callum Brashill ◽

Adam Brett ◽

Tom Clifford

Keyword(s):

Muscle Soreness ◽

Well Being ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Group Differences ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Strength Index ◽

Countermovement Jump ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Cherry Juice ◽

Baseline Values

Purpose: To investigate the effects of tart cherry juice (TCJ) on recovery from a soccer match in professional players. Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 10 male professional soccer players from the reserve team of an English Premier League Club (age 19 [1] y, height 1.8 [0.6] m, body mass 77.3 [6.4] kg) consumed 2 × 30-mL servings of TCJ or an isocaloric cherry-flavored control drink (CON) before and after a 90-minute match and 12 and 36 hours after the match. Muscle function (countermovement jump height and reactive strength index), subjective well-being, and subjective muscle soreness were measured before and 12, 36, and 60 hours after each match. Results: Countermovement jump height was similarly reduced in the days after the match after TCJ and CON supplementation, with the greatest loss occurring at 12-hour postmatch (−5.9% [3.1%] vs −5.4% [2.9%], of baseline values, respectively; P = .966; ). Decrements in reactive strength index were also greatest at 12-hour postmatch (TCJ −9.4% [8.4%] vs CON −13.9% [4.8%], of baseline values), but no group differences were observed at any time point (P = .097; ). Muscle soreness increased 12- to 60-hour postmatch in both groups, peaking at 12-hour postmatch (TCJ 122 [27] mm vs CON 119 [22] mm), but no group differences were observed (P = .808; ). No interaction effects were observed for subjective well-being (P = .874; ). Conclusions: TCJ did not hasten recovery after a soccer match in professional players. These findings bring into question the use of TCJ as a recovery aid in professional soccer players.

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Monitoring Internal Load with a Mobile App in Professional Soccer Players after the COVID-19 Lockdown (Readiness Soccer): Observational Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.30728 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Salvador Moreno-Gutierrez ◽

Oresti Banos ◽

Miguel Damas ◽

Hector Pomares ◽

Paula Postigo-Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Muscle Soreness ◽

Individual Performance ◽

Training Load ◽

Performance Estimation ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Internal Load ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Competitive Season ◽

System Usability Scale ◽

Sleep Satisfaction

BACKGROUND Heavy physical and mental loads are typical for professional soccer players during the competitive season. COVID-19 lockdowns had recently forced competitions to be interrupted and later disputed in a shrunken calendar. Wearable sensors and mobile phones could be potentially useful in monitoring players’ training load in such highly demanding environments. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore whether remote heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring and self-reported wellness of professional soccer players could be useful to monitor players’ internal training load and to estimate their performance during the continuation of the 2020 season after the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. METHODS A total of 21 professional soccer players participated in a 6-week study. Participants used an Android or iOS-based smartphone and a Polar H10 wearable ECG monitor for the duration of the study. Every morning they recorded their HRV and answered a questionnaire about their perceived recovery, muscle soreness, stress and sleep satisfaction. Smallest worthwhile change (SWC) and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated for the logarithm of the root mean square of the successives differences (LnRMSSD) of the HRV. Players’ in-game performance was evaluated subjectively by independent observers and classified as high, normal and low. In order to find which variables could be potentially linked to performance, we studied their correlation and tested for significant differences among distributions. We also trained random forest models with cross-validation and bootstrapping to find the wellness and HRV features with best predictive ability for performance. RESULTS We found the usability of Readiness Soccer in a real scenario to be very good, with 81.36 points in the System Usability Scale. A total of 241 measurements of HRV and self-reported wellness were recorded. For a entire training microcycle (ie, time in between matches), self-reported high recovery (Mann-Whitney U, P=.003), low muscle soreness (P=.002), high sleep satisfaction (P=.02), low stress (Anderson-Darling, P=.03), and not needing more than 30 minutes to sleep since going to bed (Chi-Squared, P=.02), were found significant to differentiate high from normal match performance. Performance estimation models achieved the highest accuracy (73.4%) when combining self-reported wellness and HRV features. CONCLUSIONS HRV and self-reported wellness data were useful to monitor the evolution of professional soccer players’ internal load and to predict match performance levels out of measures in a training microcycle. Despite the limitations, these findings highlight opportunities for long-term monitoring of soccer players during the competitive season as well as real-time interventions aimed at early management of overtraining and boosting individual performance.

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Practical Postexercise Recovery Strategies in Male Adult Professional Soccer Players

Strength and Conditioning Journal ◽

10.1519/ssc.0000000000000582 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽

Author(s):

João Ribeiro ◽

Hugo Sarmento ◽

Ana F. Silva ◽

Filipe M. Clemente

Keyword(s):

Soccer Players ◽

Male Adult ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Recovery Strategies ◽

Postexercise Recovery

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Perceptual and Biochemical Responses in Relation to Different Match-Day +2 Training Interventions in Soccer Players

Frontiers in Physiology ◽

10.3389/fphys.2021.685804 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Athos Trecroci ◽

Enrico Perri ◽

Giovanni Lombardi ◽

Giuseppe Banfi ◽

Riccardo Del Vescovo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Muscle Soreness ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Specific Training ◽

Active Recovery ◽

C Reactive Protein ◽

Training Interventions ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Recovery Strategies ◽

The Impact

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of two different post-match training interventions on the subsequent recovery of perceptual and biochemical parameters after the game. In a crossover design, eight sub-elite players underwent a soccer-specific training (SST) and an active recovery (AR) regimen on the second day after a match (+48 h). Muscle soreness as well as muscle damage (creatine kinase, CK), inflammatory (C-reactive protein and interleukin 6), immunological (e.g., lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes), and endocrine (cortisol) markers were obtained at baseline (−72 h), immediately after (0 h), and 72 h post-match (+72 h). AR promoted a higher restoration of muscle soreness values (P = 0.004, η2p = 0.49) together with a better restoration of CK within 72 h post-match compared with SST (P = 0.04, η2p = 0.36). Conversely, no significant (P > 0.05, η2p < 0.91) differences were observed in the recovery timeframe of inflammatory, immunological, and endocrine responses between SST and AR. Overall, AR elicited a quicker muscle soreness and CK restoration compared to SST intervention at 72 h post-match. Such information provides novel evidence-based findings on the appropriateness of different recovery strategies and may aid to improve the practitioners’ decision-making process when two consecutive games are played within 3 days.

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Postmatch Perceived Exertion, Feeling, and Wellness in Professional Soccer Players

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance ◽

10.1123/ijspp.2017-0725 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 631-637 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Mohamed Saifeddin Fessi ◽

Wassim Moalla

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Muscle Soreness ◽

Perceived Exertion ◽

Rating Of Perceived Exertion ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Small Magnitude ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Small Change ◽

Stress Fatigue ◽

Perceived Sleep Quality

Purpose: To assess postmatch perceived exertion, feeling, and wellness according to the match outcome (winning, drawing, or losing) in professional soccer players. Methods: In total, 12 outfield players were followed during 52 official matches where the outcomes (win, draw, or lose) were noted. Following each match, players completed both a 10-point Borg scale modified by Foster and an 11-point Hardy and Rejeski scale rating of perceived feeling. Rating of perceived sleep quality, stress, fatigue, and muscle soreness was collected separately on a 7-point scale the day following each match. Results: Player rating of perceived exertion was higher by a very large magnitude following a loss compared with a draw or a win and higher by a small magnitude after a draw compared with a win. Players felt more pleasure after a win compared with a draw or loss and more displeasure after a loss compared with draw. The players reported a largely and moderately better perceived sleep quality, less stress, and fatigue following a win compared with a draw or a loss and a moderately bad perceived sleep quality, higher stress, and fatigue following a draw compared with a loss. In contrast, only a trivial-small change was observed in perceived muscle soreness between all outcomes. Conclusion: Match outcomes moderately to largely affect rating of perceived exertion, feeling, sleep quality, stress, and fatigue, whereas perceived muscle soreness remains high regardless of the match outcome. However, winning a match decreases the strain and improves both pleasure and wellness in professional soccer players.

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