Abstract
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, η2 = 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.