Muscle Damage Biomarkers in Congestion Weeks in English Premier League Soccer Players: A Prospective Study for Two Consecutive Seasons

Abstract

The current study was conducted to compare muscle damage biomarkers in single- vs. multi-match weeks in elite soccer players for two consecutive seasons. A secondary objective was to analyze the influence of playing position and exposure time on muscle damage in single- vs. multi-match weeks. This is a prospective cohort study performed in a professional elite soccer club in the English Premier League during the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons up until the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in the Medical Department Room of an English Premier League Club before and after the soccer game from a total of 29 elite soccer players (mean ± S.D.; age = 27.59 ± 3.83 years; height = 1.83 ± 0.05 m; body mass = 80.16 ± 7.45 kg) who were enrolled in the club during both seasons. The main outcome measurements were creatine kinase (CK), weight, lean mass, % fat DEXA, high speed running, total distance, density of total distance and high-speed running and wellbeing questionnaires. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Players who completed more than 60 min in the previous game had significantly increased pregame CK levels and fatigue in multi-match weeks. Midfielders had both significantly increased pregame CK and muscle soreness in multi-match weeks. Midfielders and players with an exposure time of at least 60 min showed higher pregame CK values that should play a key role for deciding substitutions.

Biological, Psychological, and Physical Performance Variations in Football Players during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…Precisely, CK levels have been used to monitor muscle damage and post-match neuromuscular fatigue in elite football players [ 51 ] and other sports [ 49 , 50 ]. Most studies have reported data from single-match experiments [ 52 ] or short-term studies [ 53 ] and much less information is available on long-term studies during the entire season in elite professional football [ 54 ]. In the present study, in T2, T3, and T4 of both seasons, CK values were slightly above 270 U·L −1 , set as the highest reference value for the general population.…”

Biomarkers of post-match recovery in semi-professional and professional football (soccer)

“…Although the analysis of capillary blood permits a simple, inexpensive, and less invasive sampling process, significant heterogeneities between capillary and venous biomarker levels have been documented (Reichel et al, 2023). Additionally, some analytes, such cortisol and testosterone, are subject to important circadian variations, highlighting the importance of considering the timing of sampling (Gabriel and Zierath, 2019). Changes in inflammatory and immune biomarkers might reflect infection and other nonexercise-related inflammatory processes, so evaluating the player's health status is important when monitoring these markers (Lee et al, 2017).…”

“…Regarding football, a vast number of studies conducted in male and female semi-professional and professional football players have reported values of CK as a means to assess EIMD in training and competition ( Andersson et al, 2008 ; Gravina et al, 2011 ; Rampinini et al, 2011 ; Thorpe and Sunderland, 2012 ; Gatterer et al, 2013 ; Gunnarsson et al, 2013 ; Nedelec et al, 2013 ; Silva et al, 2013 ; Souglis et al, 2015a ; Pimenta et al, 2015 ; Russell et al, 2015 ; Mohr et al, 2016 ; Bouzid et al, 2018 ; Henrique et al, 2018 ; Marques-Jimenez et al, 2018 ; Souglis et al, 2018 ; Sparkes et al, 2018 ; Botelho et al, 2020 ; Pooley et al, 2020 ; Chou et al, 2021 ; Csala et al, 2021 ; Daab et al, 2021 ; Garcia-Romero-Perez et al, 2021 ; Hacker et al, 2021 ; Khaitin et al, 2021 ; Kostrzewa-Nowak et al, 2021 ; Trecroci et al, 2021 ; Selmi et al, 2022 ). Of note, as susceptibility to EIMD is higher among players unaccustomed to eccentric exercise, returning to high-intensity training and competition from off-season and periods of recovery from injury are considered critical time points for monitoring ( Nédélec et al, 2012 ).…”

“…Regarding periods of match-congestion, higher CK levels are typically observed along with increasing number of matches played. On this subject, Garcia-Romero-Perez et al (2021) showed that pre-match CK levels are significantly higher among players exposed to > 60 min of match-play during congested compared to non-congested periods, thus representing an important aspect to consider when deciding on availability of players across matches ( Garcia-Romero-Perez et al, 2021 ). Chou et al (2021) reported in female players that three and six Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Tests (LIST) played in consecutive days induced a higher increase in CK blood levels compared to a single LIST, which was suggestive of accumulation of muscle damage across tests ( Chou et al, 2021 ).…”

A Systematic Review of the Relationship between Workload and Injury Risk of Professional Male Soccer Players

“…The higher risk of injury caused by 3–4-day intervals between mathes, probably because the fatigue level of players is higher than a single match in a week. The English Premier League players played 4 days apart from one another, and creatine kinase levels and fatigue levels before the second match were significantly higher than those found when they were playing a match per week [ 43 ]. Athletes’ subjective health, overall quality of recovery, and adductor strength required at least 96 h to recover in the event of more than one match per week [ 44 ].…”