Can a repeated sprint ability test help clear a previously injured soccer player for fully functional return to activity? a pilot study

Johnny Padulo, Giuseppe Attene, Luca P. Ardigò, Nicola L. Bragazzi, Nicola Maffulli, Alessandro M. Zagatto, Antonio Dello Iacono

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)
27 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective
To investigate the effects of fatigue induced by a repeated sprint ability (RSA) test on the neuromuscular responses of soccer players with a recent history of lower limb injuries (CH) and a matched control group in good fitness condition .

Design
This was a case-control study.

Participants
Nine CH and 9 GH.

Independent Variable
Allocation to CH or GH.

Main Outcome Measures
Each player was assessed for blood lactate concentration and jumping performance [squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ)] before/after RSA. Post-RSA rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was obtained. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to calculate RSA sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing between CH and GH. Intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess reliability.

Results
No baseline differences were found for any variable. ΔSJ before/after RSA was -14 ± 2% and -5 ± 2% in CH and GH, respectively (P < 0.05). ΔCMJ before/after RSA was -15 ± 2% and -7 ± 2% in CH and GH, respectively (P < 0.05). ΔSJ-based and ΔCMJ-based (before/after RSA) area under curve (AUC) resulted in 0.90 ± 0.07 and 0.86 ± 0.09, respectively, with both AUCs differentiating between CH and GH with 77.78% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity. Pooled AUC resulted in 0.88 ± 0.06. Intraclass correlation coefficient was high (0.85/0.97).

Conclusions
Repeated sprint ability is a simple, low-cost field test potentially able to assist in clinical decision making for return to sport.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)361-368
Number of pages8
JournalClinical Journal of Sport Medicine
Volume27
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Jul 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Athletes
  • Athletic Injuries/rehabilitation
  • Athletic Performance
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Exercise Test/methods
  • Humans
  • Lactic Acid/blood
  • Leg Injuries/rehabilitation
  • Male
  • Muscle Fatigue
  • Pilot Projects
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Return to Sport
  • Running
  • Soccer/injuries

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