Effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on recovery after a football match in young players : a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Gušić, Marko (author), Stantić, Tomislav (author), Lazić, Anja (author), Andrašić, Slobodan (author), Roelands, Bart (author), Bogataj, Špela (author)

Introduction: Football is a physically demanding sport that requires effective recovery strategies to maintain performance level and prevent injuries. This study investigated if a single 1-h hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) session affects recovery and performance after a football match in elite youth players. Methods: Twenty elite youth football players (age 17.3 ± 0.5 years) were randomly assigned to a HBOT group or a control group (CON). They played a 90-min football game and underwent either a 60-min HBOT or placebo intervention. Before (T1), at the end of the match (T2), 1 h after HBOT or CON session (T3), and 12 h after HBOT session (T4), subjects underwent biochemical (serum samples (myoglobin (MB), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and performance measurements (linear speed at 5 m, 10 m and 20 m, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJa)). The Hooper Index (HI) was collected and heart rate was measured during the game. Results: The football match induced significant increases in all biochemical markers, but no significant differences were found between the HBOT and control group in biochemical or performance parameters at any time point. However, there was a significant interaction effect between time and group for HI (p = 0.012, η$^2$ = 0.124), with the HBOT group showing significantly lower HI values (8.6 ± 2.41) than the control group (11.0 ± 3.23) at 1 h post-HBOT. Discussion: A single 1-h session of HBOT did not significantly affect recovery or performance parameters in elite youth football players, though it did show a moderate positive affect on the HI at 1 h post-HBOT. Further studies should explore the impact of either longer or sequential HBOT sessions on recovery.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sport, soccer, football, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, performance, recovery, young athletes, blood analysis
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, art. 1483142
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-186143
• UDC: 796.332:615.835
• ISSN on article: 1664-042X
• DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1483142
• COBISS.SI-ID: 213339907
• Publication date in RUL: 27.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Frontiers in physiology
• Shortened title: Front. physiol.
• Publisher: Frontiers Research Foundation
• ISSN: 1664-042X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1218939

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: šport, nogomet, hiperbarična kisikova terapija, uspešnost, okrevanje, mladi športniki, krvna analiza