Introduction. The purposes of this study were 1) to evaluate changes from baseline levels in bioelectrical phase angle (PhA) and markers of muscle damage and inflammation in professional players 36 h after a soccer match, and 2) to analyze the relationships between PhA and markers of muscle damage and inflammation in order to investigate if PhA might be a useful parameter to monitor recovery.
Material and methods. Eighteen male professional soccer players participated in this study. Plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activities, plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations, and PhA were measured before and 36 h after a competitive match.
Results. Changes in LDH and CK 36 h after the match were greater than their reference change values (RCV). Changes in CRP and IL-6 were, however, lower than their corresponding RCV. 36 h after the match, significant correlations were observed between PhA and LDH (r = 0.714, p = 0.001), PhA and CK (r = 0.787, p = 0.000), and PhA and CRP (r = 0.554, p = 0.017).
Conclusions. Although IL-6 and CRP have been traditionally analyzed together to monitor inflammation after intense exercise, since 36 h after the match they have already returned or started to return to baseline levels, the use of them alone is not a good option to monitor inflammation throughout recovery. PhA might be used as a predictor of muscle damage and inflammation, but further studies covering the whole recovery period are warranted.
