2021-09-172021-09-172021-07-28García Romero, Á., Ordoñez, F.J., Reyes-Gil, F., Rodríguez-López, E.S. y Oliva Pascual-Vaca, Á. (2021). Muscle Damage Biomarkers in Congestion Weeks in English Premier League Soccer Players: A Prospective Study for Two Consecutive Seasons. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (15), art.n.7960.1660-4601 (electrónico)https://hdl.handle.net/11441/125955The current study was conducted to compare muscle damage biomarkers in single- vs. multi-match weeks in elite soccer players for two consecutive seasons. A secondary objective was to analyze the influence of playing position and exposure time on muscle damage in single- vs. multimatch weeks. This is a prospective cohort study performed in a professional elite soccer club in the English Premier League during the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons up until the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in the Medical Department Room of an English Premier League Club before and after the soccer game from a total of 29 elite soccer players (mean ± S.D.; age = 27.59 ± 3.83 years; height = 1.83 ± 0.05 m; body mass = 80.16 ± 7.45 kg) who were enrolled in the club during both seasons. The main outcome measurements were creatine kinase (CK), weight, lean mass, % fat DEXA, high speed running, total distance, density of total distance and high-speed running and wellbeing questionnaires. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Players who completed more than 60 min in the previous game had significantly increased pregame CK levels and fatigue in multi-match weeks. Midfielders had both significantly increased pregame CK and muscle soreness in multi-match weeks. Midfielders and players with an exposure time of at least 60 min showed higher pregame CK values that should play a key role for deciding substitutions.application/pdf12 p.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/SoccerCreatine kinaseMuscle damageFatigueGPSHigh speed runninginfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess10.3390/ijerph18157960