Over the recent years, the increased competitive demands in elite competitive athletes has sparked a heightened interest in monitoring fatigue. Given the nature of the soccer game, athletes may experience low-frequency fatigue. Until recently, this assessment was restricted to in-lab. However, the emergence of new instruments aiming to allow low-frequency assessment to be carried out on a daily basis, in the context of professional teams. This study aimed to analyze the recovery of low-frequency fatigue, jump height and perceptual responses following competition and investigate possible associations between the objective and subjective parameters.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
40
Pre-programmed muscle electrical stimuli will be applied via Myocene® software using 3 electrodes: 1 cathode (5 x 10 cm) placed transversely over the proximal quadriceps femoris, and 2 anodes (5 x 5 cm) over the distal vastus medialis and vastus lateralis. Sixteen sets of stimuli will be administered with 5 seconds between sets. Each set consists of a single pulse, a train of 5 stimuli at 20 Hz, and a train of 18 stimuli at 120 Hz, with 1-second intervals between. The stimulation intensity starts at 25 mA and increases by 1 mA per set, reaching 40 mA in the final set. The Myocene® software calculates the ratio of low- to high-frequency evoked forces within each set. The outcome (Powerdex) is the median value of these 16 ratios for each leg. This evaluation will be conducted on both legs, taking 2 minutes per leg.
University of Maia
Maia, Porto District, Portugal
RECRUITINGDifferences in Low frequency fatigue measured using Myocene (eletrical stimulus and force measurement)
Assessment using myocene. Muscles are stimulated with low-frequency electrical pulses. The response of the muscle (force or torque) output, is recorded. A decrease in force output compared to baseline levels indicates fatigue.
Time frame: 2 hours before the match; 30 minutes following the match, 24 hours following the match; 48 hours following the match
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