Acute Heterogeneous Changes in Muscle and Tendon Viscoelastic Properties Following a VO₂max Treadmill Test in High-Level Male Soccer Players
Background: This study aimed to investigate the acute changes in muscle and tendon viscoelastic properties in response to a progressive treadmill VO<sub>2</sub>max test among professional male soccer players. Methods: Bilateral assessments at five sites—the Achilles tendon (AT), biceps f...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/6986 |
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| Summary: | Background: This study aimed to investigate the acute changes in muscle and tendon viscoelastic properties in response to a progressive treadmill VO<sub>2</sub>max test among professional male soccer players. Methods: Bilateral assessments at five sites—the Achilles tendon (AT), biceps femoris, semitendinosus, rectus femoris (RF), and sternocleidomastoid (SCM)—measured tone (oscillation frequency), dynamic stiffness, logarithmic decrement (elasticity), stress relaxation time, and creep. Each site was probed five times and values averaged. Repeated-measures ANOVA (Time × Side) with Bonferroni correction tested pre- to post-exercise changes; Pearson’s <i>r</i> examined associations with VO<sub>2</sub>max. Results: Significant Time effects (all <i>p</i> < 0.05) were observed for RF frequency (<i>η<sub>p</sub></i><sup>2</sup> = 0.226), RF creep (<i>η<sub>p</sub></i><sup>2</sup> = 0.144), AT stiffness (<i>η<sub>p</sub></i><sup>2</sup> ≈ 0.035), AT frequency (<i>η<sub>p</sub></i><sup>2</sup> = 0.035), and SCM frequency (<i>η<sub>p</sub></i><sup>2</sup> = 0.037). Post-exercise, right AT stiffness fell by 65 ± 14 N/m (<i>p</i> = 0.015), while left AT stiffness rose by 22 ± 9 N/m (<i>p</i> = 0.015). RF stiffness decreased by 28 ± 6 N/m (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and tone by 1.2 ± 0.3 Hz (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with creep (+0.08 ± 0.02; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and relaxation time (+1.5 ± 0.7 ms; <i>p</i> < 0.001) increasing. SCM tone declined by 0.8 ± 0.4 Hz (<i>p</i> = 0.010). Baseline RF properties—frequency (<i>r</i> = −0.597), stiffness (<i>r</i> = −0.59), relaxation time (<i>r</i> = 0.53), and creep (<i>r</i> = 0.48)—correlated moderately with VO<sub>2</sub>max (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that viscoelastic adaptations to exhaustive aerobic exercise are tissue- and side-specific, and that rectus femoris viscoelastic properties may serve as potential indicators of endurance readiness. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-3417 |