Energy expenditure of injured football players ⚽️
How many calories do they need?
Energy requirements of injured soccer players: a doubly labelled water case series from the English Premier League
Study Details
This new paper investigated energy expenditure (EE) changes of two professional football players during the following injuries 🔍
1️⃣ Case Study 1 - Early Stage Hamstring Injury
2️⃣ Case Study 2 - Rectus Femoris Rehabilitation (transition from partial to full-weight bearing)
Here is what they found ⬇️
Key Findings
Case Study 1 📝
🔥 Week 1 EE = 3,143 kcal
🔥 Week 2 EE = 4,156 kcal (+1,013 kcal)
🍽️ Week 1 Energy Intake = 2,911 kcal
🍽️ Week 2 Energy Intake = 4,343 kcal
Across the two week period…
⚖️ Body mass remained stable (+0.1 kg)
💪 Fat-free soft tissue mass = -0.5 kg (from trunk and injured leg)
Case Study 2 📝
🔥 Pre-injury EE = 4,556 kcal
🔥 Partial weight bearing EE = 3,175 kcal
🔥 Full weight bearing EE = 3,713 kcal (+538 kcal)
Across the injury phases…
📉 Body mass reduced in both PWB (-0.3 kg) and FWB phases (-1.2 kg)
Likely due to not meeting energy demands as energy intake analysis indicated energy deficits in both phases…
🪫 PWB = -139 kcal
🪫 FWB = -557 kcal
Conclusion
Energy expenditure can fluctuate drastically across injury phases, and matching these demands is crucial for positive return to play outcomes 🔥
Injuries are one of the most important times in an athletes career to optimise nutrition, it can make or break a career ‼️
Reference
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s44410-025-00018-2
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