Attenuated Arterial Wave Reflection Associated With Fatigue In Youth Women’S Football Tournament: Impact Of Match-repetition

The second derivative of the finger photoplethysmogram (SDPTG) serves as a composite metric reflecting arterial stiffness. PURPOSE: To ascertain the relationship between intra-individual SDPTG responses and fatigue experienced during a brief series of matches in young female football players. METHODS: Twenty-six female football players (14 regular members and 12 substitutes) participating in the Youth Girls Soccer Tournament underwent evaluation. Regular members engaged in five matches over seven consecutive days, while substitutes underwent light training instead. SDPTG assessments were conducted the night before and 3-4 hours after each match. Ratios of the first and second descending waves to the first ascending wave of SDPTG (B/A ratio and D/A ratio) reflect central arterial stiffness and peripheral arterial wave reflection, respectively. The intra-individual relationship between SDPTG indices and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) assessed via a visual analogue scale was evaluated using repeated-measures correlation analysis (rmcorr). RESULTS: Post-match D/A ratio decreased compared to pre-match values (time effects, P = 0.043), while B/A ratio did not show significant change. Rmcorr demonstrated a significant correlation between RPE and D/A ratio in regular members (rrm = -0.220, P = 0.015) but not substitutes (rrm = -0.029, P = 0.766). Traditional correlation analysis applied to group average data of RPE and D/A ratio, revealed a strong association in regular members (r = -0.687, P = 0.028) but not substitutes (r = -0.237, P = 0.509). CONCLUSION: In young female football players, arterial wave reflection attenuates after matches, correlating with perceived exertion and highlighting the association between physical exertion and peripheral vascular tone. This study was supported by Cooperative Research Grant of Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance, the University of Tsukuba) (JS), A-STEP by JST (2021, JS), JSPS KAKENHI (22 K11549, JS).