Hruby Michal, Hulka Karel, Bernatik David
Department of Sport, Faculty of Physical Culture Olomouc, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Jul 22;14:e69744. doi: 10.2196/69744.
Football matches induce acute and residual fatigue, impairing neuromuscular, metabolic, and perceptual performance. Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) is a novel intervention with antifatigue and antioxidative properties. The intermittent high-intensity nature of football, which includes frequent accelerations, decelerations, sprints, changes of direction, and physical contacts, imposes substantial demands on both central and peripheral physiological systems. This results in acute fatigue, observable during or immediately after a match, and residual fatigue, which can persist for 24-72 hours post match, depending on the intensity, match context, and recovery strategies.
This study will investigate the effects of pre-exercise HRW administration versus a placebo on neuromuscular performance, biochemical markers, and perceptual measures of fatigue during a 72-hour recovery after a simulated football match.
Using a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel design, elite junior football players will undergo neuromuscular performance assessments (repeated sprint ability and countermovement jump test). Metabolic fatigue will be measured by creatine kinase level and muscle soreness, rated using a visual analog scale. These assessments will occur at critical time points: immediately post warm-up; directly following the simulated football match to detect acute fatigue; and 24, 48, and 72 hours after training sessions to detect residual fatigue.
Data collection has been scheduled with the clubs to coincide with the beginning of the players' transition period (ie, at the start of August 2025). The expected duration of data collection, including the initial medical examination, is planned to be 1 month. We anticipate publishing the results in late 2025 or during the first half of 2026.
This study will assess the influence of molecular hydrogen on acute fatigue manifestation and recovery quality during a 72-hour period after a simulated football match. The potential positive effects of molecular hydrogen, such as attenuation of oxidative stress, reduction in muscle damage markers, and accelerated neuromuscular recovery, may contribute to faster restoration of functional capacities. If confirmed, these effects could enhance players' readiness to return to high-intensity training and optimize the structure of microcycles in competitive periods. Additionally, understanding the recovery dynamics facilitated by HRW may inform evidence-based recovery strategies and support individualized player monitoring frameworks. The possible positive effect of molecular hydrogen would speed up the players' readiness to train after the match and help protect players against illness and noncontact injuries.
足球比赛会引发急性和残余疲劳，损害神经肌肉、代谢和感知能力。富氢水（HRW）是一种具有抗疲劳和抗氧化特性的新型干预措施。足球运动间歇性高强度的特点，包括频繁的加速、减速、冲刺、变向和身体接触，对中枢和外周生理系统都提出了很高的要求。这会导致急性疲劳，在比赛期间或比赛刚结束时即可观察到，以及残余疲劳，其可能在比赛后持续24 - 72小时，具体取决于强度、比赛情况和恢复策略。
本研究将调查运动前饮用富氢水与安慰剂相比，对模拟足球比赛后72小时恢复期间神经肌肉性能、生化指标和疲劳感知指标的影响。
采用随机、双盲、安慰剂对照、平行设计，精英青少年足球运动员将接受神经肌肉性能评估（重复冲刺能力和反向移动跳跃测试）。代谢性疲劳将通过肌酸激酶水平和肌肉酸痛程度来衡量，肌肉酸痛程度使用视觉模拟量表进行评分。这些评估将在关键时间点进行：热身结束后立即进行；模拟足球比赛结束后直接进行以检测急性疲劳；训练后24、48和72小时进行以检测残余疲劳。
已与各俱乐部安排好数据收集工作，时间与球员过渡期开始时间一致（即2025年8月初）。预计包括初始医学检查在内的数据收集持续时间为1个月。我们预计在2025年底或2026年上半年发表研究结果。
本研究将评估分子氢对模拟足球比赛后72小时内急性疲劳表现和恢复质量的影响。分子氢的潜在积极作用，如减轻氧化应激、降低肌肉损伤标志物水平以及加速神经肌肉恢复，可能有助于更快地恢复功能能力。如果得到证实，这些作用可以提高球员恢复高强度训练的准备程度，并优化比赛期间微观周期的结构。此外，了解富氢水促进恢复的动态过程可能为基于证据的恢复策略提供依据，并支持个性化的球员监测框架。分子氢可能产生的积极作用将加快球员赛后恢复训练的准备速度，并有助于保护球员免受疾病和非接触性损伤。
