Frik, L. (Laurens) (2019) Assessing on-field test performance and training load before and after injury in male elite soccer players. thesis, Sport Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background: In professional soccer, there is high risk for recurrent injuries at the lower extremity. A reason for this is a lack of on-field performance criteria that can support decisionmaking when players return to competition (RTC). Furthermore, the amount of training load that players are exposed to is unknown. Therefore, the first aim of current study is to compare on-field sprint, agility and endurance performance before a lower extremity injury and at the moment of RTC in male elite soccer players. The second aim of the study is to compare training load before a lower extremity and at the moment of return-to-training (RTT) and RTC. Methods: During the season 2018 – 2019 60 players from a U23, U19 and U17 team that played at the highest level in the Netherlands were followed in an observational longitudinal study. Players with a lower extremity injury with a time-loss of 28 days or more were included. At the start of the season the 10-meter and 30-meter sprint test, Agility T-test, and Interval Shuttle Run Test (ISRT) were performed. Players were re-tested in the week before RTC. Both external training load and internal training load were captured during training weeks of RTT and RTC and were compared with the loads before injury. Results: In total 112 injuries were registered during the season 2018-2019. Eight injuries lasted longer than 28 days and thereby met the inclusion criteria of the study (age: 17.29 ± 1.80 years; height: 180.63 ± 6.29cm; mass: 68.76 ± 7.84kg; time-loss: 46.50 ± 24.37 days). For the sprint test no significant difference was found. Even though completion time was similar before and after injury for the agility test, performance appeared to be less during turns compared to before injury (p<.05). For the ISRT test no significant difference was found. The results of the external load showed that high intensity runs were significantly higher during RTT compared to before injury (p<.05). For internal load no difference was found between baseline and RTC, furthermore no difference was found for training load between RTT and RTC. Conclusion: This study showed that agility performance is less after injury compared to baseline in elite male soccer players. Furthermore, players covered more high intensity runs at RTT compared to before injury. In contrast, players performance for sprint, endurance and internal training load is not altered at RTC. Keywords: Athletic injuries; Rehabilitation; Return to sport; Decision-making
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Brink, dr. M.S. and Frencken, dr. W.G.P. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 23 May 2022 07:59 |
| Last Modified: | 23 May 2022 07:59 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3407 |
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