In this article, we will discuss performance and massage for soccer players.
In order to acquire sports performance, we practice hard every day.
However, too much practice leads to increased fatigue and the desire to use various methods to reduce fatigue.
Some of these methods include stretching and massage, which are relatively safe and easy to perform, but measuring their effectiveness can be very difficult.
The reasons for the difficulty include the fact that emotional aspects are taken into account in the items to be evaluated, so the results are affected by the choice of interventions, and the difficulty in reproducing the techniques themselves.
In addition, blood tests and other tests are also used to evaluate fatigue, but it is difficult to properly evaluate these tests because the values used as standards are not related to fatigue in the first place.However, there are many studies being conducted, and we can use the results as an indicator to decide whether or not to use them.
This time, I would like to introduce a study on the performance of soccer players.
The study
The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of deep transverse friction massage (DTFM) and static and dynamic stretching techniques on hamstring extension, agility, and strength among Lebanese and Syrian soccer players.
Secondary objectives will also include documenting the incidence of non-contact hamstring muscle injuries.
The study is being conducted in a single-blind, prospective, longitudinal, randomized controlled trial.The experiment was conducted over a period of four weeks.
Soccer players were randomly assigned to three intervention groups (static stretching, dynamic stretching, and DTFM).
Participants in each group were carefully followed up by an evaluator three times a week during the intervention sessions, for a total of 12 sessions, and during data collection.
Extensibility, agility, and strength were compared between the intervention groups and in (baseline; acute; and chronic) phases.
A straight leg raise test and a single repetition maximal test were used to measure the extensibility and maximal strength of the hamstring muscles in the dominant leg, respectively.The T-Drill test was used to assess the agility of the lower limbs.
A total of 103 Lebanese and Syrian male soccer players between the ages of 18-35 years were sampled from Damascus-Syria and South Lebanon.
Intergroup measures of acute strength (p = 0.011) and chronic extensibility (p = 0.000) showed only significant differences, with the static group outperforming the other groups.
No loss to follow-up or protocol violations were recorded.
Author's Conclusion
Static stretching has been shown to be superior to other methods used with respect to long-term extension and short-term maximal muscle strength gains. Furthermore, although DTFM showed improvement, it did not outweigh its impact on the performance of soccer players when compared to static and dynamic methods. Finally, no differences between the interventions were recorded in terms of the incidence of muscle injuries.
Fakhro MA, Chahine H, Srour H, Hijazi K. Effect of deep transverse friction massage vs stretching on football players' performance. World J Orthop. 2020; 11(1):47-56. Published 2020 Jan 18. doi:10.5312/wjo.v11.i1.47
Conclusion
Of the methods compared, the benefits of static stretching were the most prominent, but the combination of static stretching and massage also had significant results.
Even though the results were limited, they may be useful for measuring muscle performance, as these methods are better for muscle lengthening.
In terms of recovery from fatigue and injury prevention, it seems that the results were the same for all of them, so it is just a performance aspect.
It is important to keep this in mind.
