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Publication date: 01.07.2022
DOI: 10.51871/2782-6570_2022_01_02_3
UDC 612.813; 796/799; 796.015.576
FEATURES OF THE FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE VEGETATIVE MUSCULAR ACTIVITY SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN ELITE ATHLETES OF VARIOUS SPORTS IN THE MIDDLE ALTITUDE
S.M. Abutalimova, Yu.V. Kushnareva, A.V. Abramtsova, A.N. Popov
FSBI “North-Caucasian Federal Research-Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia”, Essentuki
Annotation. The training process in the conditions of the middle altitude has a number of positive advantages, the most important of which is to increase the functionality and performance of athletes. At the same time, the adaptation of the athletes' body to environmental conditions is often accompanied by stress of functional systems. The aim of the work was to study the features of the functional state of the vegetative muscular activity support systems in elite athletes of various sports in the middle altitude. The results obtained demonstrated a greater stress of the autonomic nervous regulation in baseball players. At the same time, the athletes of underwater sports revealed a decrease in the level of blood oxygen saturation. The hemodynamic parameters of all athletes were within the normal range. However, higher parameters were identified in athletes of cyclic sports in comparison with acyclic and situational ones.
Keywords: athletes, middle altitude, adaptation, track-and-field, weightlifting, triathlon, boxing, underwater sports, baseball, ski mountaineering, sudomotor analysis, hemodynamics, heart rate variability.
Introduction. The high efficiency of the training process in the middle altitude conditions is associated with an increase in the functional reserves and capabilities of the athletes' body [1-3]. Scientists note that such trainings are highly specific and increase the level of fitness in athletes of cyclic sports that train endurance [4-5]. Along with this, intensive training in the middle altitude without taking into account the functional state of athletes causes a high risk of strain of adaptation processes and deterioration of the functional state [6-7]. In this connection, the study of mechanisms and signs of the adjusting systems of vegetative support of athletes' muscular activity to the middle altitude conditions during intense physical loads is a relevant direction in sports medicine and sports physiology [8-9].
The aim of the work was to study the features of the functional state of the vegetative muscular activity sup-port systems in elite athletes of various sports in the middle altitude,
Methods and organization. The study was conducted at the Center of Biomedical Technologies, FSBI “North-Caucasian Federal Research-Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia” in the city of Kislovodsk on the Maloe Sedlo Mountain (height – 1240 m) during training camps for 3-5 days of training at the DSBI “Yug Sport”. The study involved athletes of the following specialties: track-and-field (7 people), weightlifting (7 people), underwater sports (13 people), baseball (26 people), taekwondo (6 people), ski mountaineering (17 people), boxing (10 people), triathlon (7 man). 93 people participated, 36 of them are women, 57 are men. Qualification of athletes – Candidate for Master of Sports (CMS), Master of Sports (MS), Master of Sports of International Class (MSMC). The average age – 23.2±4.9 years.
The study of the functional state of athletes was carried out on the ESTECK System Complex (LD Technology, USA) hardware and software complex. The following indicators were analyzed: 9-10 SDC+, 10-9 SDC- – skin-galvanic reaction in the “head” segment; 11-12 SDC+, 12-11 SDC- – skin-galvanic reaction in the "hands" segment; 13-14 SDC+, 14-13 SDC- – skin-galvanic reaction in the “legs” segment; HF – heart rate variability (HRV) capacity in the high frequency range of 0.15-0.4 Hz; LF – HRV capacity in the low frequency range of 0.04-0.15 Hz; LF/HF – balance of sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system activity; stress index – the oxygen demand of the heart muscle associated with the work of the heart; SDNN – standard deviation of cardiointervals; SpO2 – the level of arterial blood oxygen saturation; stiffness index – an indicator of the stiffness of the large arteries; reflection index - an indicator of the stiffness of small and medium arteries; AI – augmentation index; PVR – peripheral vascular resistance; CO – cardiac output; CI – index of volumetric blood flow rate; MAP – mean arterial pressure; VO2 – indicator of impaired oxygen uptake from the microcirculation system.
Statistical processing of the data was carried out using the Statistica 10.0 software. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test was used to assess the differences between the two independent groups.
Results and discussion. The sudomotor function analysis in athletes in the first days of their stay in the middle conditions have revealed higher values in swimmers in the “9-10 SDC+ head” segment (43.0±6.7 microSi) and in the “10-9 SDC- head” segment (42.9±6.6 microSi) in comparison with taekwondo athletes (“9-10 SDC+ head” – 18.3±6.3 microSi, p⩽0.04) and ski mountaineers (“9-10 SDC+” – 22.9±3.9 microSi, p⩽0.03) (“10-9 SDC-“ – 22.5±4.0 microSi, p⩽0.02). In addition, taekwondo athletes in the “9-10 SDC+ head” segment (18.3±6.3 microSi) and in the “10-9 SDC- head” segment (18.8±6.4 microSi) have lower skin-galvanic reaction rates than baseball players (“9-10 SDC+” – 45.2±3.3 microSi, p⩽0.004; “10-9 SDC-” – 45.1±3.4 microSi, p⩽0.04). In the “10-9 SDC- head” lead, statistically significant differences were revealed between the indicators of ski mountaineers (22.5±4.0 microSi) and boxers (37.6±5.7 microSi, p⩽0.04) (fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Comparative analysis of the parameters of the sudomotor function in the "head" segment of athletes specializing in taekwondo, underwater sports, ski mountaineering, boxing, baseball in the first days of their stay in the middle altitude
The highest segmental reaction at hand level in the “11-12 SDC+” lead was registered in baseball players (71.4±0.9 microSi), which differed from the indicators of taekwondo athletes (65.0±2.3 microSi, p⩽0.03), swimmers (64.9±2.2 microSi, p⩽0.006), weightlifters (63.2±4.1 microSi, p⩽0.02) and boxers (55.0±4.5 microSi, p⩽0.0001). The lowest values of the skin-galvanic reaction in this lead were found in boxers. They differed not only from the parameters of baseball players, but also from similar indicators of track-and-field athletes (68.3±1.9 microSi, p⩽0.02) and triathlon athletes (67.5±3.1 microSi, p⩽0.02) (fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Comparative analysis of the parameters of the sudomotor reaction in the “hands” segment in the “11-12 SDC+” lead in athletes specialized in taekwondo, track-and-field, underwater sports, triathlon, weightliftinh, ski mountaineering, boxing, baseball in the first days of their stay in the middle altitude
Analysis of the sudomotor reaction in the “hands” segment of the “12-11 SDC-” has shown higher parameters in track-and-field athletes (82.9±1.5 microSi) in comparison with athletes of underwater sports (74.6±3.0 microSi, p⩽0.04), triathlon (74.0±3.1 microSi, p⩽0.02), ski mountaineering (69.0±3.1 microSi, p⩽0.01), boxing (65.1±5.3 microSi, p⩽0.006). In addition, there were significant differences between the groups of boxers (65.1=5.3 microsSi) and baseball players (79.2=1.0 microSi, p=0.01) (fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Comparative analysis of the parameters of the sudomotor reaction in the “hands” segment in the lead “12-11 SDC-” in athletes of specialized in track-and-field, underwater sports, triathlon, weightlifting, ski mountaineering, boxing, baseball in the first days of their stay in the middle altitude
A study of galvanic skin reaction at the level of the legs in the “13-14 SDC+” lead revealed that the parameters of the sudomotor reaction of boxers (62.0±2.1 microSi) differ from similar parameters of triathlon athletes (68.5±1.6 microSi, p⩽0.02) and baseball players (68.7±1.9 microSi, p⩽0.02). In the “14-13 SDC-” lead, the indicators of track-and-field athletes (85.3±2.9 microSi) are higher than those of swimmers (74.8±2.2 microSi, p⩽0.02), triathlon athletes (76.2±2.0 microSi, p⩽0.04) and boxers (75.0±3.7 microSi, p⩽0.03).
Fig. 4. Comparative analysis of the parameters of the sudomotor reaction in the “hands” segment in the “14-13 SDC-” lead in athletes specialized in track-and-field, underwater sports, triathlon, boxing, in the first days of their stay in the middle altitude
The HRV study revealed that the heart rate of baseball players (84.1 ± 1.7 beats/min) is higher than in triathletes (76.4± 4.3 beats/min, p⩽0.01). In addition, the values of the standard deviation of the duration of cardiac intervals in baseball players (48.3±2.4 ms) are lower in comparison with swimmers (59.8±4.4 ms, p⩽0.04) and track-and-field athletes (58.1±4.6 ms, p⩽0.01).
The study of the HRV capacity in the high and low frequency range revealed higher values of low frequency waves in baseball players (39.0± 2.2 Hz) in comparison with swimmers (29.7± 3.4 Hz, p⩽0.007). In addition, the values of the ratio of low-frequency to high-frequency waves are also higher in baseball players (1.4±0.1 Hz), which indicates a greater activity of the sympathetic department of vegetative nervous regulation than swimmers (0.9±0.1 Hz, p⩽0.01). This is also evidenced by higher values of the stress index (baseball – 142.2 ±13.0, scuba diving – 111.4 ± 21.0, p⩽0.05).
Hemodynamic parameters in the first days of stay in the middle altitude also differed among athletes of different sports. Thus, it was found that the stiffness index of the large arteries in track-and-field athletes (6.6±0.2) is higher than in taekwondo athletes (5.9± 0.1 m/s, p⩽0.02), weightlifters (6.0±0.01 m/s, p⩽0.04) and boxers (5.8± 0.2 m/s, p⩽0.02).
Statistically significant differences in the values of peripheral vascular resistance were found between the athletes of the underwater sports (1253±43 din*s/cm2), baseball players (1053.8±24.5 din*s/cm2, p⩽0.0004), taekwondo athletes (1043.6±41.4 din*s/cm2, p⩽0.009) and weightlifters (1247.9±49.3 din*s/cm2, p⩽0.02) (fig. 5).
Fig. 5. The peripheral vascular resistance parameters in athletes of the following groups: weightlifting, taekwondo, baseball, underwater sports in the first days of their stay in the middle altitude
The parameters of cardiac output in weightlifters (5.4±0.2l) are lower than in taekwondo (6.4± 0.3 l, p⩽0.03) and triathlon athletes (6.1± 0.2 l, p⩽0.04). The values of cardiac output in track-and-field athletes (7.0±0.1 l) are higher than in swimmers (5.8±0.2l, p⩽0.0001) and triathlon athletes (6.1±0.2l, p⩽0.006).
The index of volumetric blood flow velocity in swimmers (3.1±0.1 l/min/m2) is lower than in taekwondo athletes (3.5±0.1 l/min/m2, p⩽0.03) and baseball players (3.5±0.1 l/min/m2, p⩽0.003). In addition, it was found that the index of volumetric blood flow rate in athletes (3.6 ± 0.1 l/min/m2) is higher than in swimmers (3.1± 0.1 l/min/m2, p⩽0.005), ski mountaineers (3.2±0.1 l/min/m2, p⩽0.02), weightlifters (3.1±0.1 l/min/m2, p⩽0.006) and boxers (3.2±0.1 l/min/m2, p⩽0.009).
The level of blood oxygen saturation in underwater athletes (94.1 ±0.5%) is lower than in baseball players 95.2± 0.2%, p⩽0.05).
The parameters of systolic arterial pressure in baseball players (129.4±2.5 mm of Hg) are higher than in triathlon athletes (117.9±2.7 mm of Hg, p⩽0.02), swimmers (119.5±3.1 mm of Hg, p⩽0.02) and track-and-field athletes (115.1±3.7 mm of Hg, p⩽0.01). The values of diastolic arterial pressure in swimmers (74.7±1.3 mm of Hg) are higher than in taekwondo athletes (66.5±1.8 mm of Hg, p⩽0.005), weightlifters (69.6±1.1 mm of Hg, p⩽0.03) and boxers (67.9±1.9 mm of Hg, p⩽0.03).
Conclusion. Thus, the HRV data indicate a greater stress of the regulatory systems during the period of adaptation to the middle altitude conditions in baseball players in comparison with athletes of other sports. This is evidenced by higher indicators of sudomotor analysis, heart rate, stress index, the ratio of low-frequency waves to high-frequency waves when analyzing the capacity of the HRV spectrum, as well as lower parameters of the standard deviation of the duration of cardiac intervals. At the same time, a decrease in the level of blood oxygen saturation in underwater sports athletes was found, which is most likely due to the simultaneous influence of a number of factors – staying in the middle altitude conditions (low oxygen content in the air) and the systematic effect of training loads (the systematic occurrence of acute hypoxia due to breath retention when diving). The hemodynamic parameters of athletes in the first days of their stay in the middle altitude were within the normal range. However, it was found that such indicators as the index of volumetric blood flow velocity, the index of stiffness of large arteries and cardiac output are predominantly higher in athletes of cyclic sports in comparison with acyclic and situational sports, which is connected with the direction of the training process and the features of adaptation of the cardiorespiratory system to specific physical loads.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Sabina Malikovna Abutalimova – Researcher of the Biomedical Technologies Center, FSBI “North-Caucasian Federal Research-Clinical Center of Federal Medical and Biological Agency”, Essentuki, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Yulia Valerievna Kushnareva – Senior Researcher of the Biomedical Technologies Center, FSBI “North-Caucasian Federal Research-Clinical Center of Federal Medical and Biological Agency”, Essentuki, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Anna Viktorovna Abramtsova – Candidate of Medical Sciences, Senior Researcher of the Center of Biomedical Technologies, FSBI “North-Caucasian Federal Research-Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia”, Essentuki, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Aleksandr Nikolaevich Popov – Junior Researcher of the Center of Biomedical Technologies, FSBI “North-Caucasian Federal Research-Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia”, Essentuki, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For citation: Abutalimova S.M., Kushnareva Yu.V., Abramtsova A.V., Popov A.N. Features of the functional state of the vegetative muscular activity support systems in elite athletes of various sports in the middle altitude. Russian Journal of Sports Science: Medicine, Physiology, Training, 2022, vol. 1, no. 2. DOI: 10.51871/2782-6570_2022_01_02_3