The microcycle of inflammation and performance changes after a basketball match.
Basketball incorporates intense eccentric muscle activity that induces muscle microtrauma and an inflammatory response. This study investigated time-dependent inflammatory and performance responses during a weekly microcycle after a basketball match. Twenty elite-standard players underwent a trial that comprised a match followed by a 6-day simulated in-season microcycle. The trial was preceded by a control condition that did not have a match. Blood sampling and tests of maximal-intensity exercise performance and muscle damage occurred before each condition, immediately after the match and daily thereafter for 6 consecutive days. The match induced marked increases in heart rate, lactate, ammonia, glucose, non-esterified fatty acids and triglycerides. Performance deteriorated for 24-48 h after the match, whereas knee flexor and extensor soreness increased for 48 and 24 h post-match, respectively. Inflammatory (leukocytes, C-reactive protein, creatine kinase activity, adhesion molecules, cortisol, uric acid and cytokines) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, oxidised glutathione, antioxidant capacity, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) markers increased for ~24 h and subsided thereafter. Reduced glutathione declined for 24 h after exercise. These results suggest that a basketball match elicits moderate and relatively brief (~24-48 h) inflammatory responses, is associated with marked but short-lived performance deterioration, but is less stressful than other intermittent-type sports.
a School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences , Democritus University of Thrace , Komotini 69100 , Greece.
Athanasios
A
Chatzinikolaou
Dimitrios
D
Draganidis
Alexandra
A
Avloniti
Alexandros
A
Karipidis
Athanasios Z
AZ
Jamurtas
Chrysanthi L
CL
Skevaki
Dimitrios
D
Tsoukas
Apostolis
A
Sovatzidis
Anastasios
A
Theodorou
Antonis
A
Kambas
Ioannis
I
Papassotiriou
Kyriakos
K
Taxildaris
Ioannis
I
Fatouros
D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001490:Basketball / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism*; D063806:Myalgia / Q000209:etiology; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D014280:Triglycerides; D019344:Lactic Acid; D000641:Ammonia