Occurrence of a dystonic response to graded physical exertion in young athletes in team sports

Abstract

This study is present current data on the phenomenon of "infinite tone" observed after physical activity in young athletes participating in team sports. Material and methods. A total of 191 athletes were examined, including 174 football players with a sports qualification of 3rd to 2nd class athlete (mean age 15.82 ± 0.15 years) and 17 handball players with a sports qualification of 2nd class athlete (mean age 14.2 ± 0.29 years). Blood pressure was measured using the Korotkov method with an aneroid sphygmomanometer. Physical performance was assessed on a bicycle ergometer following the established protocol, with measurements of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) taken at rest while seated on the bicycle ergometer, after the first and second levels of physical exertion, as well as at the 5th minute of the recovery period. Conclusions. In young athletes participating in soccerand handball, the phenomenon of "infinite tone" following the submaximal PWC170 test is observed in 39.65% and 35.29% of cases, respectively. The comparison of the relative physical work capacity in soccer and handball players exhibiting the "infinite tone" phenomenon did not reveal statistically significant differences from similar indicators in athletes without this phenomenon (soccer players: 2.88 ± 0.06 W·kg⁻¹ vs. 2.86 ± 0.07 W·kg⁻¹, p = 0.842; handball players: 2.40 ± 0.37 W·kg⁻¹ vs. 2.58 ± 0.15 W·kg⁻¹, p = 0.564). This suggests the absence of signs of physical overstrain in the studied athletes and does not constitute a contraindication for their participation in the training process. The review of scientific literature indicates a limited understanding of the hemodynamic causes of "infinite tone" after graded physical activity, as most studies have focused on the empirical assessment of its detection frequency without considering various factors such as sport, sex, age, health status, and skill level. Consequently, it is difficult to concur with the opinion of some authors who assess the functional state of such athletes as unsatisfactory or low and recommend their training in a special medical group.