Abstract
Rectus femoris muscle strains are one of the most common injuries occurring in sports such as soccer. The purpose of this study was to describe the safety and feasibility of a combination of percutaneous needle electrolysis (PNE) and a specific rehab and reconditioning program (RRP) following an injury to the rectus femoris in professional soccer players. Thirteen professional soccer players received PNE treatment 48 h after a grade II rectus femoris muscle injury, followed by a the RRP 24 h later. Assessment of recovery from injury was done by registering the days taken to return to train (RTT), return to play (RTP), and structural and functional progress of the injured muscle was registered through ultrasound imaging and match-GPS parameters. Also, adverse events and reinjuries were recorded in the follow up period of twenty weeks. The RTT registered was 15.62 ± 1.80 days and RTP was 20.15 ± 2.79 days. After fourteen days, the ultrasound image showed optimal repair. Match-GPS parameters were similar before and after injury. There were no relapses nor were any serious adverse effects reported during the 20-week follow-up after the RTP. A combination of PNE and a specific RRP facilitated a faster RTP in previously injured professional soccer players enabling them to sustain performance and avoid reinjuries.
Highlights
Professional soccer players face significant mechanical, metabolic, and physiological demands as a result of their participation in the sport [1]
The biggest muscle among the quadriceps, the rectus femoris, is the anatomical area that is most affected during a tear in the quadriceps [10,11], representing 19% of all non-contact muscle injuries [10,12]
Participants returned to full team training (RTT) in 15.62 ± 1.80 days and returned to play (RTP 1)
Summary
Professional soccer players face significant mechanical, metabolic, and physiological demands as a result of their participation in the sport [1]. Regarding to these demands, scientific evidence shows, for example, that elite soccer players cover total distances of 11,173 ± 524 m [2], with 600–831 m ran at speeds exceeding 7 m·s−1 [3] and over 160 accelerations between 1.5–2 m·s−2 [4]. Sci. 2020, 10, 7912 demands, soccer has a high risk of injury [5,6]; at the elite level, up to two injuries per player per season occur [7]. Among all rectus femoris injuries, 46.1% are grade I injuries (representing an edema during MRI evaluation), 37.3% are grade II
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