29 Aug FSI Football Science Update
High revision arthroscopy rate after ACL reconstruction in men’s professional team sports.
Bloch H, Reinsberger C, Klein C, Luig P, Krutsch W.
Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s00167-022-07105-0.
This study analysed the German statutory accidental insurance for professional athletes (VBG) data on all complete ACL tears from players in the two highest divisions of German male basketball, ice hockey, football and handball between the 2014/15 and 2018/19 seasons. In total, 189 out of 7517 players (2.5%, 0.5 per 1000 h) sustained an ACL injury, mainly in handball and football. 70.4% of ACL injuries involved concomitant injury to other knee structures. 22.9% of all surgically treated ACL injuries required at least two surgical interventions, and 15.6% required revision arthroscopy. Hamstring tendon grafts were the most commonly used (71.4%) but had the highest revision and infection rates.
A systematic review on the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and neurocognitive disorders in professional and varsity athletes.
Bellomo G, Piscopo P, Corbo M, Pupillo E, Stipa G, Beghi E, Vanacore N, Lacorte E.
Neurol Sci. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s10072-022-06319-x.
This systematic review of all available epidemiological evidence on former participation in any type of sport, at a professional and varsity level, as a potential risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases and neurocognitive disorders, found 17 studies showing a higher frequency of these pathologies in former soccer and American football players, and confirming a higher frequency of ALS or motor neurone disease, dementia and Parkinson’s disease in former soccer players. However, the pathological mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear.
Extended Match Time Exacerbates Fatigue and Impacts Physiological Responses in Male Soccer Players.
Mohr M, Ermidis G, Jamustas AZ, Vigh-Larsen J, Poulios A, Draganidis D, Papanikolaou K, Tsimeas P, Batsilas D, Loules G, Batrakoulis A, Sovatzidis A, Nielsen JL, Tzatzakis T, Deli CK, Nybo L, Krustrup P, Fatouros IG.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 Aug 12. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003021. Online ahead of print.
In this study, 20 male soccer players completed a 120 min experimental match with extra time. In extra time less high-intensity running (12%), fewer intense accelerations and decelerations per minute and lower (11%) peak were observed. Average muscle glycogen declined from 373 mmol⸱kg-1 at baseline to 266 after 90 min, with a further decline to 186 following extra time, with single fiber analyses revealing depleted or very low glycogen levels in ~75% of both slow and fast twitch fibers. Blood glucose did not change during the first 90-min but declined after extra time. Plasma glycerol and ammonia peaked after the extra period. These findings demonstrate exacerbated fatigue following extra time compared with normal time, which appears to be associated with muscle glycogen depletion, reductions in blood glucose levels and hyperammonemia.
Training in women soccer players: A systematic review on training load monitoring.
Costa JA, Rago V, Brito P, Figueiredo P, Sousa A, Abade E, Brito J.
Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 29;13:943857. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.943857. eCollection 2022.
This systematic review of 16 final studies on training load TL in highly trained elite adult women’s soccer players in the context of the team routine found that accumulated external TL during the pre-season was positively correlated to enhanced adaptations in intermittent exercise capacity. Daily external TL was negatively correlated to next-day self-reported fatigue and muscle soreness, whilst daily internal TL was negatively correlated to post-session sleep duration and sleep efficiency. One study showed that higher accumulated player load and total distance were associated with injury.