Diagnostic performance of the Strength and Pain Assessment (SPA) score for non-contact muscle injury screening in male soccer players

Abstract

Objectives:The aims of this study were to develop a clinical-feature based scoring system for muscle injury screening and to assess its diagnostic accuracy when large number of injuries are suspected. Methods: A prospective diagnostic accuracy study was performed according to the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) criteria. The diagnostic accuracy of the Strength and Pain Assessment (SPA) score (index test) was assessed in relation to muscle ultrasonography (reference standard). A large (n = 175) number of male soccer players met the inclusion/exclusion criteria: clinical assessment (i.e., evaluation of pain onset modality, location, distribution, impact on performance, and manual muscle strength testing) and ultrasonography were performed in all players after 48 hours from the sudden or progressive onset of muscle pain during or after a soccer competition. Results: 91 of 175 cases (52%) were classified as functional muscle disorders, while signs of muscle tear were observed in the remaining 84 of 175 (48%) cases that were classified as structural muscle injuries. The median (1st -3rd quartile) value of the SPA score was significantly (P < 0.001) lower in the functional disorder group [9 (9-10)] compared to the structural injury group [12 (12-13)]. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for different cutoff points of the SPA score was 0.977 (95% confidence intervals: 0.957-0.998) and the optimal cutoff value of the SPA score providing the greatest sensitivity and specificity (respectively, 99% and 89%) was 11. Conclusion:This study found that the SPA score has high diagnostic accuracy for structural muscle injuries and could be used as a valid screening tool in soccer players presenting with sudden or progressive onset of muscle pain during or after a competition.

Survey Of Sports Injuries In Young Football Athletes In Football Competitions

“…Therefore, coaches must prepare the condition of their players properly so that the coaching carried out on young players can be carried out optimally. The incidence of injury in sports matches needs to be minimized for a player when competing, minimizing the incidence of injury can be done by preparing and fostering the condition of the athlete when player coaching is carried out (Guermazi et al, 2017;Semperboni et al, 2021). Minimizing the incidence of injuries in sports is very much needed by coaches and athletes, this aims to make players who carry out sports activities by preparing their condition as much as possible so that they can be ready for sports matches.…”