Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters use their arms and hands for striking with the fists, grappling, and defensive techniques, which puts a high load on the forearms and hand muscles. New methods are needed to decrease the risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of regeneration. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cryo-compression (CC) therapy of different times (3 and 6 min) on forearm muscles in MMA fighters by investigating muscle pain, stiffness, tension, elasticity strength, and perfusion. Twenty professional male MMA fighters aged 26.5 ± 4.5 years, with training experience of 10.3 ± 5.0 years, were enrolled on an experimental within-group study design. The participants underwent CC therapy at a temperature of 3 °C and compression of 75 mmHg for 3 min and, in the second session, for 6 min. The investigated parameters were in the following order: (1) perfusion in non-reference units (PU), (2) muscle tone (T—[Hz]), (3) stiffness (S—[N/m]), (4) elasticity (E—[arb]), (5) pressure pain threshold (PPT—[N/cm]), and (6) maximum isometric force (Fmax [kgf]) at two time points: (1) at rest—2 min before CC therapy (pre) and (2) 2 min after CC therapy (post). There were significant differences between 3 and 6 min of CC therapy for PU and T. Meanwhile, F, E, PPT, and S were significantly different when comparing pre- to post-conditions. These results provide evidence that CC therapy is a stimulus that significantly affects parameters characterizing muscle biomechanical properties, pain threshold, strength, and tissue perfusion.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of contrast heat and cold pressure therapy (CHCP) on muscle tone, elasticity, stiffness, perfusion unit, and muscle fatigue indices after plyometric training consisting of five sets of jumping on a 50-cm high box until exhaustion. A prospective, randomized, controlled single-blind study design was used. Twenty professional MMA fighters were included in the study. The experimental group (n = 10) was subjected to the CHCP protocol (eGR), while the control group (cGR) (n = 10) was subjected to sham therapy. Both protocols consisted of three CHCP sessions performed immediately after plyometric exercise, 24 and 48 h afterwards. Measurements were taken at the following time points: 1) at rest; 2) 1 min post-exercise; 3) 1 min post-CHCP therapy; 4) 24 h post-CHCP therapy; 5) 48 h post-CHCP therapy. The results of the eGR compared to the cGR showed significantly higher perfusion at time point 5 (p < 0.001), higher muscle tone at time points 1, and 3–5 (p < 0.001 for all), higher stiffness at time points 1, 3–5 (p < 0.001 for all) and a higher pain threshold at time points 1 and 5 (p < 0.001 for all). This study suggests a positive effect of CHCP therapy on muscle biomechanics, the pain threshold, and tissue perfusion, which may contribute to increasing the effectiveness of post-exercise muscle recovery in MMA athletes.

Knowledge and research about football goalkeeper (GK) injuries are scarce, which prevents the development of evidence-based injury prevention programs. Fortunately, progress is evident in injury prevention strategies in outfield football players. However, a GK fulfills a unique role, and an injured GK can substantially impact a team. Thus, there is a need to clarify and summarize current knowledge concerning football goalkeeper pain and injuries. This narrative review aims to present the best-evidence synthesis of knowledge about football GK injuries and pain, their type, location, and incidence. A secondary aim is to contrast these findings with outfield players and identify knowledge gaps. Scientific databases were searched for the following indexed terms: goalkeeper, injury, soccer, and football. Original papers, including case studies and systematic reviews published from August 1994 to March 2021, were screened for relevance using a priori criteria and reviewed. Commonly described injuries are fractures, luxation and dislocations in the fingers, hand and wrist. The quadriceps femoris and forearms muscles are the most frequently described muscle and tendon injuries. Further, football GK injuries differ in type, location, and incidence compared to outfield players. Whether GKs suffer fewer injuries than players in other positions, whether GK suffer more injuries in training than matches, and whether they sustain more upper limb injuries comparing to field players is still unclear and controversial. Few studies assess pain, and current data point to the development of hip and groin, thigh, knee, arm and forearm pain resulting from training and match play. Due to the crucial role of GK in the football team, it is recommended to use the injury burden as a parameter considering the number and time-loss of injuries in future studies.

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the development of speed, endurance and power in young football players and to create percentile charts and tables for standardized assessment.Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 495 male players aged 12–16 years at RKS Raków Częstochowa Academy in 2018–2022. Players participated in a systematic training in which running time 5 m, 10 m, 30 m, lower limb power (standing long jump), and Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS) were measured using the 30–15 Intermittent Fitness Test. All tests were performed under constant environmental conditions by qualified personnel. Statistical analysis included ANOVA and percentile distribution for P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90, P97.Results: Results indicated that the most significant improvements occurred between the ages of 13 and 14, with increased speed over all distances and a significant increase in power. Percentile tables were developed, highlighting improvements in speed 5 m: 0.087–0.126 s; 10 m 0.162–0.215 s; 30 m: 0.438–0.719 s and power in the long jump test: 31–48 cm. Improvements in MAS ranged from 0.3 to 0.6 m/s across the percentiles.Discussion: The results highlight the need for individual training programs tailored to the biological maturity of players. The developed percentile charts and tables offer a valuable tool for coaches and sports scientists to monitor progress, optimize training loads, and minimize the risk of injury, providing a frame of reference for assessing the physical development of young soccer players. Future research should focus on extending these charts and tables to other age groups and genders to refine training methodologies further.

Due to the specific loads that occur in combat sports athletes' forearm muscles, we decided to compare the immediate effect of monotherapy with the use of compressive heat (HT), cold (CT), and alternating therapy (HCT) in terms of eliminating muscle tension, improving muscle elasticity and tissue perfusion and forearm muscle strength. This is a single-blind, randomized, experimental clinical trial. Group allocation was performed using simple 1:1 sequence randomization using the website randomizer.org. The study involved 40 40 combat sports athletes divided into four groups and four therapeutic sessions lasting 20 min. (1) Heat compression therapy session (HT, n = 10) (2) (CT, n = 10), (3) alternating (HCT, n = 10), and sham, control (ShT, n = 10). All participants had measurements of tissue perfusion (PU, [non-reference units]), muscle tension (T—[Hz]), elasticity (E—[arb- relative arbitrary unit]), and maximum isometric force (Fmax [kgf]) of the dominant hand at rest (Rest) after the muscle fatigue protocol (PostFat.5 min), after therapy (PostTh.5 min) and 24 h after therapy (PostTh.24 h). A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures: Group (ColdT, HeatT, ContrstT, ControlT) × Time (Rest, PostFat.5 min, PostTh.5 min, Post.24 h) was used to examine the changes in examined variables. Post-hoc tests with Bonferroni correction and ± 95% confidence intervals (CI) for absolute differences (△) were used to analyze the pairwise comparisons when a significant main effect or interaction was found. The ANOVA for PU, T, E, and Fmax revealed statistically significant interactions of Group by Time factors (p < 0.0001), as well as main effects for the Group factors (p < 0.0001; except for Fmax). In the PostTh.5 min. Period, significantly (p < 0.001) higher PU values were recorded in the HT (19.45 ± 0.91) and HCT (18.71 ± 0.67) groups compared to the ShT (9.79 ± 0.35) group (△ = 9.66 [8.75; 10.57 CI] > MDC_(0.73), and △ = 8.92 [8.01; 9.83 CI] > MDC_(0.73), respectively). Also, significantly (p < 0.001) lower values were recorded in the CT (3.69 ± 0.93) compared to the ShT (9.79 ± 0.35) group △ = 6.1 [5.19; 7.01 CI] > MDC_(0.73). For muscle tone in the PostTh.5 m period significantly (p < 0.001) higher values were observed in the CT (20.08 ± 0.19 Hz) group compared to the HT (18.61 ± 0.21 Hz), HCT (18.95 ± 0.41 Hz) and ShT (19.28 ± 0.33 Hz) groups (respectively: △ = 1.47 [1.11; 1.83 CI] > MDC_(0.845); △ = 1.13 [0.77; 1.49 CI] > MDC_(0.845), and △ = 0.8 [0.44; 1.16 CI], < MDC_(0.845)). The highest elasticity value in the PostTh.5 m period were observed in the CT (1.14 ± 0.07) group, and it was significantly higher than the values observed in the HT (0.97 ± 0.03, △ = 0.18 [0.11; 0.24 CI] > MDC_(0.094), p < 0.001), HCT (0.90 ± 0.04, △ = 0.24 [0.17; 0.31 CI] > MDC_(0.094), p < 0.001) and ShT (1.05 ± 0.07, △ = 0.094 [0.03; 0.16 CI] = MDC_(0.094), p = 0.003) groups. For Fmax, there were no statistically significant differences between groups at any level of measurement. The results of the influence of the forearm of all three therapy forms on the muscles' biomechanical parameters confirmed their effectiveness. However, the effect size of alternating contrast therapy cannot be confirmed, especially in the PostTh24h period. Statistically significant changes were observed in favor of this therapy in PU and E measurements immediately after therapy (PostTh.5 min). Further research on contrast therapy is necessary.

Objectives: This study aimed to (1) analyze the reliability of the Kinvent K-push handheld dynamometer for assessing quadriceps maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and rate of force development (RFD), and (2) evaluate inter-rater reliability by assessing the reproducibility of measurements between examiners.Methods: A blinded, randomized, comparative study evaluated the reliability of quadriceps femoris MVC and RFD measurements obtained by two independent researchers. Forty-four male volunteers participated, divided into three groups based on motor skill level: elite mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes (n = 15), amateur football players (n = 15), and untrained healthy volunteers (n = 14). Three measurements per leg were taken during the experimental session, with the Kinvent K-push handheld dynamometer automatically calculating the average MVC and RFD.Results: Pearson correlations revealed that MVC and RFD measurements were highly consistent, with the left quadriceps showing nearly perfect correlations (r = 0.96 for MVC, r = 0.97 for RFD), while the right quadriceps displayed more variability, particularly in MVC. Inter-examiner comparisons showed high reproducibility, with minimal differences between the two measurers (p > 0.05). The ICC further supported this, with very high intraclass correlation values, especially for RFD (ICC = 0.999), confirming almost perfect agreement between the measurers. Group comparisons revealed that athletes, particularly MMA fighters and footballers, had significantly higher muscle strength and RFD compared to the general non-training group (p < 0.05), with athletes showing similar values for both MVC and RFD, while the general non-training group exhibited greater variability in both parameters. Bland-Altman analysis revealed strong agreement between measurers across all quadriceps measurements, with minimal systematic bias and acceptable variability, particularly in MVC assessments.Conclusion: MVC and RFD measurements in the quadriceps using the K-push handheld dynamometer are highly reliable and consistent, with minimal inter-examiner variability. These findings, in conjunction with high ICC and low MAE/MSE values, underscore the reliability of the measurement protocol used in this study. The tested instrument provides consistent and accurate results, ensuring reliable measurements across different examiners.