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Sixty athletes will be randomized in two groups; (1) an experimental group and (2) a control group. Both groups will undergo the following procedure:
Moment 1:
Moment 2:
Both moments of testing as well as the order in which the performance tests take place are randomized.
Traditionally, athletes perform a warm-up program before participating in sport activities, due to its assumed beneficial effect on performance and injury prevention. However, within team sports, substitutes usually do not perform the comprehensive pre-match warm-up. In many cases, those substitute players get a very short period of time, during the game, to prepare themselves for coming on to the pitch where they immediately have to perform at a very high-intensity. Hence, this could lead to a poorer performance and a greater injury risk for those substitute players, as they did not get a decent warm-up.
Therefore, new techniques are needed in order to prepare the substitute athletes optimally in a very short period of time (often within a few minutes). Consequently, the aim of this study is to investigate whether the incorporation of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) within a warm-up routine could be of additional value. Both performance parameters and muscle stiffness will be evaluated. As Hamstring strain Injuries (HSI) are common within sports encompassing high-speed running, this muscle group will be investigated on muscle stiffness as a representation of the interventional effect on muscle stiffness. Athletes will be randomized in two groups of 30 participants (anticipated); (1) an experimental group and (2) a control group. Both groups will perform baseline testing (5x Countermovement Jump, 25m Sprint and Muscle Strength of hamstrings and Quadriceps), and a short warm-up program, followed by repeating the same tests as executed in baseline. The experimental group will receive Blood Flow Restriction within the warm-up routine, whereas the control group will do the same warm up program but without BFR.
On a separate occasion, the same athletes will perform the same warm-up routine with a Shear Wave Elastographic assessment of the Biceps Femoris Long Head before and after (immediately after, after 5 minutes and once more after 10 minutes) the warm-up.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Flow Restriction | Experimental | Incorporation of Blood Flow Restriction within the warm-up routine. |
|
| Control Group | Active Comparator | Warm-up routine without any special intervention (no Blood Flow Restriction). |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up + Blood Flow Restriction cuff (smart-cuff pro device, acting as pressurized tourniquet) | Device | Blood Flow Restriction |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in muscle stiffness | The stiffness of the Biceps Femoris Long Head of the dominant leg will be assessed via a Shear Wave Elastography Device (Mach 30, SuperSonic Imagine), before and immediately after the warm-up routine. The muscle stiffness will be expressed in Kilopascals (kPa). | (1) Before the warm-up routine, (2) immediately after the warm-up routine, (3) 5 minutes after the warm-up routine, and (4) 10 minutes after the warm-up routine |
| Change in jump height | The jump height will be assessed during 5 consecutive countermovement jumps. This will be assessed with an OptoJump device. The highest jump will be taken into account. The jump height will be expressed in cm. | (1) Before the warm-up routine and (2) immediately after the warm-up routine |
| Change in muscle strength | Muscle strength of the Hamstrings and Quadriceps muscles. Measured via a Hand Held Dynamometer. Strength will be expressed in Newton (N). | (1) Before the warm-up routine and (2) immediately after the warm-up routine |
| Change in sprinting speed | Sprinting speed will be assessed at 5m, 10m and 25m. This via the use of timing gates. This outcome measure will be expressed in seconds (s). | (1) Before the warm-up routine and (2) immediately after the warm-up routine |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| level of readiness | Participants will be asked after the warm-up (with or without BFR) how well they feel prepared to substitute into the game on a scale from 0-100; being zero = not ready at all, 100 = totally ready | Immediately after the warm-up |
| Change in heart rate |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Erik Witvrouw | Departement of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghent University | Ghent | 9000 | Belgium |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D063996 | Warm-Up Exercise |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D015444 | Exercise |
| D009043 | Motor Activity |
| D009068 | Movement |
| D009142 | Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena |
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| Warm-up | Other | Warm-up without any special intervention (no Blood Flow Restriction) |
|
This parameter will be captured to track the cardiovascular answer of the body during the warm-up by using a polar watch and elastic strap with a monitor around the waist. |
| (1) Right before the warm up, (2) after one minute, (3) after two minutes, (4) after 3 minutes, (5) at the end of the warm up |
| D055687 |
| Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena |