Strength Level of Professional Elite Soccer Players After the COVID-19 Lockdown Period: A Retrospective Double-Arm Cohort Study

Overview

Journal J Sports Med (Hindawi Publ Corp)

Specialty Orthopedics

Date 2022 Mar 7

PMID 35252459

Authors

Robson Dias Scoz

Ricardo Lima Burigo

Isabella Christina Ferreira

Luiz Hespanhol

Ana Paula Silveira Ramos

Adriano Schlosser

Jose Joao Baltazar Mendes

Luciano Maia Alves Ferreira

Cesar Ferreira Amorim

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: It is well known that periods of inactivity generate a loss of muscle strength, a fundamental component of sports performance in soccer. However, little information is available on the decrease in strength levels in professional soccer players after the quarantine lockdown that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To compare the isokinetic peak torque profiles of professional soccer players from different teams before and after the quarantine period generated by COVID-19.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed using data collected from two different professional elite-level soccer teams just before and immediately after the COVID-19 quarantine period. One team gave individual instructions to its players for conditioning maintenance at home during the quarantine period, while the other team used regular video calls to maintain the player's conditioning status on home training. The main outcomes were the mean peak torque of knee extensors and flexors, from concentric and eccentric contractions of each playing position. . A two-way ANOVA analysis was used to compare peak torque before and after the quarantine period and between both teams' strategies, showing a statistically significant reduction in eccentric knee flexor peak torque from the team that did not have remote monitoring.

Conclusions: Remote monitoring programs are recommended so that athletes are less affected by the deleterious effects of confinement.

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