Fatigue and recovery time-course after women's futsal, handball, basketball, and volleyball matches: A systematic review

This study aimed to analyse acute and residual fatigue after women's futsal, basketball, handball, and volleyball matches and the ensuing recovery time-course of performance, physiological, and perceptual responses. This study was pre-registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. The search was conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, and Scopus in April 2024 and updated in February 2025. Studies were included when participants were female futsal, volleyball, basketball, or handball players, regardless of their ability level. Further, the intervention was an official or friendly match following official rules in an indoor environment with performance, physiological, and perceptual parameters collected pre- and post-match (immediately, 24 h, 48 h, or 72 h-post). A total of 17 studies (n = 326 female athletes) were included for systematic review. Most studies reported changes in performance parameters immediately after the matches. Acute and residual fatigue was observed through increased physiological (cortisol, creatine kinase) and perceptual (muscle soreness) parameters at 24-72 h post-basketball and futsal matches. This study highlights the complexity of fatigue and recovery in women's team sports, suggesting the need for specific recovery strategies and monitoring using different parameters.
© Copyright 2025 International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.

Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:sport games biological and medical sciences
Tagging:Muskelkater Kreatinkinase
Published in:International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
Language:English
Published: 2025
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541251333922
Volume:20
Issue:4
Pages:1761-1776
Document types:article
Level:advanced