Rectus Femoris Muscle Composition: Association with Sports Performance and Playing Position in Female Soccer Players

Abstract

Background Quadriceps muscle plays a relevant role in soccer as its function is determinant for sprinting, jumping and striking the ball. Although ultrasound demonstrated to be useful in risk of injury prevention and monitoring post-injury rehabilitation, no studies analyzed the ultrasound muscle histology with sports performance tests. We aimed to analyze the correlation between ultrasound findings related to rectus femoris morphology and composition with sports performance indicators and to analyze sociodemographic, sports performance and ultrasound differences according to playing position.

Methods An observational study was conducted at the CFF OLYMPIA soccer club (Madrid, Spain). Twenty-two semi-professional female soccer players were enrolled in this study. Sociodemographic data, bilateral ultrasound measurements of the rectus femoris muscle and sports performance tests (Counter Movement Jump -CMJ-, The Sprint Repeat Ability -SRA-, and one Repetition Maximum -1RM-) were collected.

Results No correlations between ultrasound imaging and sports performance indicators were found. Significant correlations between cross-sectional area and perimeter with age (p<0.05) and fatty infiltration with body mass index and tight perimeter (p<0.05) were seen. No muscle ultrasound morphology or quality differences were found between the playing positions (p>0.05). Finally, most of the functional tests showed no between-position differences (except SRA between goalkeepers and attackers).

Conclusion Although muscle morphology and quality are associated with demographic features, US should not be used as a predictor of sports performance in female football players since no association between US and sports performance were observed. Similar US and functional test scores were obtained among the different playing positions.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund und Ziel Der Musculus quadriceps femoris spielt beim Fußball eine wichtige Rolle, da seine Funktion für das Sprinten und Springen sowie das Schießen des Balls von entscheidender Bedeutung ist. Während der Nutzen von Ultraschalluntersuchungen für die Prävention potenzieller Verletzungen und die Überwachung des Rehabilitationsverlaufs nach Verletzungen nachgewiesen wurde, liegen keine Studien vor, in denen die Ultraschall-Muskelhistologie mit Tests zur Prüfung der sportlichen Leistung in Beziehung gesetzt wird. Unser Ziel war es, die Korrelation zwischen Ultraschallbefunden bezüglich der Morphologie und des Aufbaus des M. rectus femoris und Indikatoren der sportlichen Leistung zu ermitteln sowie Unterschiede in soziodemografischen Merkmalen, sportlicher Leistung und Ultraschalluntersuchungen nach Spielerposition zu analysieren.

Methodik Wir führten eine Beobachtungsstudie im Fußballverein CFF OLYMPIA (Madrid, Spanien) durch. In die Studie wurden 22 semiprofessionelle Fußballspielerinnen aufgenommen. Erhoben wurden soziodemografische Daten, Ultraschallmessungen des M. rectus femoris beidseits und Tests zur sportlichen Leistung (Counter-Movement Jump [CM], Sprint Repeat Ability [SRA] und 1-Wiederholungsmaximum [One-Repetition Maximum, 1RM].

Ergebnisse Es fanden sich keine Korrelationen zwischen Ultraschallmessungen und Indikatoren der sportlichen Leistung. Hingegen wurden signifikante Korrelationen zwischen Querschnittsfläche und Umfang mit dem Alter (p<0,05) und der Fetteinlagerung mit dem Body-Mass-Index und „Tight Perimeter“-Messungen (p<0,05) festgestellt. Zwischen den verschiedenen Spielerpositionen fanden sich bei der Ultraschalluntersuchung keine Unterschiede hinsichtlich Muskelmorphologie oder -qualität (p>0,05). Ebenso zeigten sich bei den meisten Funktionstests keine Unterschiede zwischen den Spielerpositionen (Ausnahme: SRA-Unterschied zwischen Torwart und Stürmer).

Schlussfolgerung Die Muskelmorphologie und –qualität sind mit demografischen Merkmalen assoziiert. Ultraschall sollte hingegen nicht als Prädiktor für die sportliche Leistung von Fußballspielerinnen verwendet werden, da kein Zusammenhang zwischen Ultraschallmessungen und sportlicher Leistung festgestellt wurde. Die für die verschiedenen Spielerpositionen ermittelten Ultraschallbefunde und Funktionstestergebnisse waren ähnlich.

Key words

Ultrasound Imaging - Quadriceps - Cross-sectional Area - Echo-Intensity - Sports performance - Soccer

Schlüsselwörter

Ultraschall-Bildgebung - M. quadriceps - Querschnittsfläche - Echointensität - sportliche Leistung - Fußball

Publication History

Received: 28 January 2022

Accepted: 20 June 2022

Article published online:
18 October 2022

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