Muscle Deoxygenation And Recovery During Repetitive Ice Shuttle Sprint Test In Elite Level Hockey Players

Abstract

The ability to supply and utilize oxygen is a critical component of exercise performance. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure muscle oxygenation (SmO2) has shown to be useful in both assessing maximal oxygen uptake, as well as the utilization and recovery of high-energy phosphates. Therefore, SmO2 dynamics should play an important role in performance during repetitive sprinting tasks and could provide valuable insights into sport-specific performance. PURPOSE: Assess the relationship between performance and SmO2 during a Repetitive Ice Shuttle Sprint test (RISS). METHODS: Twenty elite-level hockey players completed a RISS. The RISS consisted of 3 shifts of 4 x 30 m maximum intensity skating sprints with 3 min of passive recovery between shifts. Sprint time was documented and SmO2 data collected from both right and left leg quadriceps. SmO2 data was analyzed for maximal deoxygenation (SmO2min) and reoxygenation dynamics during the interspersed sprint and recovery periods and compared to sprint times. For shift comparisons, a repeated-measures ANOVA was used, and a Pearson Product-Moment correlation was used to assess the relationship between SmO2 and shift times. RESULTS: Both sprint time and SmO2min show a significant change between shifts respectively; F(2,38) = 5.018, p = .012, F(2,38) = 5.705, p = .007. All 3 shifts correlate with medium to large effects sizes, between time and SmO2min, respectively; r(19) = .411, p = .036, r(19) = .338, p = .072, r(19) = .516, p = .01. All 3 shifts show small to medium effects sizes for intra-shift recovery and time relationships, respectively; r(19) = .424, p = .031, r(19) = .214, p = .183, r(19) = .316, p = .087. Finally, oxidative capacity using NIRS can be assessed through both reoxygenation dynamics and SmO2min, which show strong correlations for all shifts; r(19) = .820, p < .001, r(19) = .784, p < .001, r(19) = .834, p < .001. CONCLUSIONS: SmO2min and reoxygenation dynamics appear to be related to repeated sprint performance during high-intensity skating. This understanding could benefit both athletic diagnostics and training guidance by better understanding local bioenergetic systems and their limitations.