Could Lab Technology Help to Win the FIFA World Cup?

The aerobic and anaerobic endurance of footballers correlates closely with their performance on the pitch. Footballers perform low intensity work for more than 70% of the match, with intermittent periods of between 150 and 250 intense and explosive actions such as kicking, tackling, sprinting, turning and changing pace (1). Players work at 80-90% of their maximum heart rate, covering (8-12 km) in distance during a game (2).

Traditionally, teams focus on techniques and tactics when attempting to improve football performance. However, increasingly, managers and trainers are realizing that using scientific analysis can help to improve performance by maximizing physical fitness.

During a football match, which combines low intensity work over a long duration with periods of intense action, both the aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolic energy systems are utilized to provide the player with the energy required to keep playing. Both aerobic and anaerobic energy assessments can take place either on the field, and/or in a laboratory.

During the low intensity work, aerobic metabolic systems are highly taxed. There are quite a variety of field tests that can be used to assess aerobic fitness, such as the Shuttle Run (beep) Test, the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Tests (3). But laboratory testing can arguably give a more accurate picture of aerobic fitness. In a physiology lab, aerobic fitness might be tested using a treadmill and determining VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) measurement.

Anaerobic energy turnover of footballers is thought to be particularly high during the 150-250 intense bursts of activity during a match (1). The anaerobic system allows muscles to recover between each burst of energy. Anaerobic fitness can be tested via field tests such as the Cunningham-Faulkner Test, the 30-second Wingate Test, and the Sprint Fatigue Test.

It is possible to test for anaerobic fitness of players using laboratory testing. Creatinine kinase (CK) is a product of muscle breakdown and can be used to measure muscle damage. The CK protein is often tested for in a clinical environment following a heart attack or muscle injury. Studies have shown that levels of CK rise in athletes following exercise; there is also a correlation between the rate of CK reduction in the system and performance (4).

Another in vitro chemical offering insight into athlete performance is lactate. Lactate is produced when the muscles use carbohydrates in a process called glycolysis. This metabolic process is a continual one in the body, but increases significantly when the anaerobic pathway is being heavily utilized. Increased glycolysis produces hydrogen ions and lactate (it is the hydrogen ions that cause pain, sore muscles, cramps and fatigue). Lactate measurement of athletes can give an important indication of performance development. Knowing a player’s lactate level can help coaches and players determine optimal training regimes.

The elite players participating in the FIFA World Cup 2014 will almost certainly have access, if not to the FIFA FMARC medical centers of excellence, then at least to laboratory testing. However, for many coaches and teams, while in vitro diagnostic (IVD) lab testing might be helpful to improve physical fitness, it is also time consuming, impractical and expensive.

The clinical community is increasingly bringing laboratory testing to the point-of-care, i.e. laboratory technology that is incorporated into a portable analyzer that can be used by non-trained professionals. This is happening across the disciplines in the clinical arena, bringing hematology, clinical chemistry and even molecular genetics to patients waiting in doctor’s offices, hospital clinics and even into the patient’s home.

This same technology can be applied to athlete testing on the football field (and in other areas of sport). Just as CK and lactate can be tested for at the point-of-care, it is now possible to test for these biomarkers at the side of the pitch. This brings laboratory technology to the masses, allowing all clubs to take advantage of IVD monitoring of blood samples.

Measuring lactate and CK on the football pitch during a game offers broadly the same advantages as measuring them at the point-of-care in a clinical environment; the results can be acted on immediately for the good of the individual, and in football for the benefit of team performance. Lactate levels in particular can enable the formation of optimal training regimes and help to avoid symptoms of overload.

There are a number of clinical lactate monitors available on the market, such as the i-STAT from Abbott (which also tests for CK), and the StatStrip Lactate® from Nova Biomedical, however these analyzers are specifically designed for clinical use. The Lactate Scout+ from EKF Diagnostics is a clinical analyzer which also incorporates hematocrit compensation and is suitable for use at the point-of-care; however, it has also been specifically designed for use as a training companion for individuals and sports teams.

Lactate Scout+ is smaller than a cell phone and easy-to-use ‘in the field’ as a training companion for individuals or sports teams. "Lactate Scout delivers quick and accurate lactate measurements during training. This means, I can react immediately, controlling and improving the individual training of sportsmen. Because it is compact, we can take the device with us to all training camps and competitions," said Jirka Letzin, A-License Swimming Coach, based in Leipzig (Germany).

Backing up Lactate Scout+, EKF's Biosen analyzers deliver up to 160 lactate and glucose results in one hour and are designed for use in sports clinics, as well as clinical settings. Biosen C-Line is used by many professional sports teams worldwide and serves as a laboratory reference system for Lactate Scout+. This ensures an excellent correlation of test data being generated in the field with those gained in the laboratory.

Read the EKF Athlete's Guide to Lactate

Find out more about Lactate Scout+ and Biosen C Line Lactate and Glucose Analyzers

Player performance cannot and should not be based solely on scientific analysis; however, scientific analyzers could help to improve team and individual player performance. Modern technology has brought laboratory technology match-side. This technology will allow real-time monitoring of athlete performance and could offer a significant advantage to the teams that embrace it.

To find more World Cup articles, news and videos, please visit our Science Behind the World Cup Special Feature.

1 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/7015993_Physical_and_metabolic_demands_of_training_and_match-play_in_the_elite_football_player/file/79e4150b8f540e08c9.pdf
2 http://www.footballscience.net/testing/aerobic-endurance/
3 http://www.topendsports.com/sport/soccer/testing.htm
4 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2595821/