ACUTE EFFECTS ON CREATINE KINASE, PERCEIVED FATIGUE AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT POST-EXERCISE RECOVERY METHODS IN ELITE BASKETBALL PLAYERS: A CROSSOVER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Resumen

INTRODUCTION:The basketball characteristics and the congested calendar present recovery as a key role in the performance of professional players (1).The aim of this study was to compare the effects of intermittent cold-water immersion (CWI), a supplement of protein and carbohydrates(SUPPL), and active recovery (ACT) on creatine kinase (CK), perceptual and performance markers of recovery in elite basketball playersafter a specific fatigue protocol.METHODS:Fifteen elite basketball players (age 23±4 years; height 190.5±8.9 cm; body mass 90.3±9.6 kg; body fat 13.8±4.4 %; VO2max 45.8±4.7ml/kg/min) participated in this crossover-controlled trial. All participants were randomly measured in 4 recovery method conditions 1-week apart after a fatigue exercise protocol (~45´of high intensity intermittent effort with basketball-specific movements). Recovery methods consisted in CWI at 10ºC in periods of 2 minutes submerged and 2 minutes out of the water, SUPPL with a 0.3gr/kg of maltodextrin and0.2gr/kg of neutral whey protein in 0.5 litres of water, ACT pedaling for 25 minutes at 50% of maximal heart rate, or a placebo drink (PLA).The Visual Analogical Scale of Fatigue (VAS), Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), CK, and physical performance (jumps, velocity, isometric anddynamic squat strength tests) were measured prior to (PRE), after (POST), and 24 hours after (POST24h) the fatigue protocol. The VAS andRPE were also measured immediately post-recovery method application (POST25’). A 2-way repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferronipost-hoc comparisons were applied, with significance set at P<0.05.RESULTS: The VAS was lower at POST25’ in the ACT (P=0.015), SUPPL (P<0.001), and CWI (P=0.044) groups, but not in PLA (P=0.159), compared with POST measurements. The RPE was reduced (P<0.05) from POST to POST25’ in all conditions but remained higher compared to PRE (P<0.05), except for the CWI group (P=0.082). The CK level was increased from POST to POST24h for all groups (P<0.05), except for CWI (P=0.062). For jump tests, there was only a significant difference in the change of POST to POST24h in the countermovement jump test, where CWI improved the performance significantly more than SUPPL (P=0.009). The time in the 4x10m agility test improved significantly (P=0.027) at POST24h only in CWI. There were no effects of the recovery method for sprint test and isometric or dynamic strength tests in squat exercise (P>0.05). CONCLUSION:The results suggested that CWI, SUPPL, and ACT could be effective to improve perceptual measures of recovery compared with a PLA condition. The CWI method seemed to be the best option to quickly reduce the rate of perceived exertion and exercise-induced muscle damage markers and to achieve a higher physical performance recovery in elite basketball players.