PTOtherJournal of physical therapy science2023

Association between the phase angle and muscle-tendon complex function in Japanese athletes: a comparative study.

Chiaki Matsumoto, Masahiro Ishizaka, Tatsuya Igawa and 1 others

PMID 37790999

WHAT IT FOUND

In adult soccer players, a body-composition measure called phase angle tracked better grip strength but not jump performance.

In high school players, it showed no clear link to either grip or jumps.

Key findings

01After adjustment for age, phase angle, total body muscle mass, grip strength, and rebound jump index differed significantly between adult and high school soccer players. Adult values were phase angle 7.2 ± 0.5°, total body muscle mass 56.2 ± 4.2 kg, grip strength 42.7 ± 6.5 kg, and rebound jump index 2.41 ± 0.47; high school values were 6.4 ± 0.5°, 50.2 ± 4.3 kg, 35.2 ± 5.2 kg, and 2.13 ± 0.42.

02In adult soccer players, phase angle was positively associated with grip strength (r=0.511; p=0.018), but not significantly associated with rebound jump index (r=0.276).

03In high school soccer players, phase angle was not significantly associated with grip strength (r=0.155) or rebound jump index (r=-0.114).

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs

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What it does not show

Small sample: only 57 male soccer players were analysed. No non-athlete control group or other sport group was included, so comparisons are limited to these two soccer groups. Cross-sectional design, so it cannot show that phase angle causes or predicts changes in function. Training intensity, training duration, and sport-specific factors were not accounted for. Only male participants, so results may not apply to female athletes. Grip strength and rebound jump may not fully capture muscle-tendon complex function.

Declared interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The easy way to misread this

Do not treat phase angle as a useful muscle-tendon function test for all soccer players. In this study, it was associated with grip strength only in adult players, not in high school players, and it was not associated with the rebound jump index.

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