Heart rate variability activity in soccer athletes after a musculoskeletal injury.
Gonçalo Flores, Diogo Monteiro, Fernanda Silva and 1 others
PMID 39254380WHAT IT FOUND
Injured soccer players showed altered heart rate variability patterns compared to when they returned to play, specifically lower LF power and LF/HF ratio with higher HF power immediately after injury.
These autonomic shifts suggest HRV could help detect injury or guide return-to-play decisions.
Key findings
01Heart rate variability (HRV) parameters changed significantly between the acute injury phase and the return-to-play phase in injured athletes.
02Immediately after injury, athletes exhibited lower LF power and LF/HF ratio, and higher HF power compared to their measurements after returning to play.
03The study suggests HRV alterations may assist clinical departments in identifying musculoskeletal injuries and managing return-to-play.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (15 athletes), limiting the generalizability of the findings. There was no control group of uninjured athletes, making it difficult to determine if the HRV changes were due to the injury itself or other factors like training load or stress. The study only included male semi-professional soccer players, so results may not apply to female athletes, other sports, or professional levels. The types of injuries varied widely (muscle tears, sprains, fractures), which may have different physiological impacts on HRV. The authors note that their finding of increased HF power after injury conflicts with some previous literature that reported decreases, suggesting the relationship between injury and HRV is not fully understood.
Declared interests
The paper does not state any conflicts of interest or funding sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use HRV as a standalone diagnostic tool for injury or return-to-play clearance based on this paper. The findings are from a very small sample of male soccer players with no control group, and the direction of HF power change contradicts some existing literature, indicating that HRV patterns after musculoskeletal injury are not yet established enough for clinical decision-making.