About this Research Topic

Background

The investigation of muscle oxygenation through near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has gained significant importance in the field of sports sciences. This is mainly due to its ability to non-invasively provide information on the energy metabolism of skeletal muscle, fatigue response, and health status of athletes. Additionally, during injury rehabilitation, strength-based metrics are often used. Still, they have not been based on metabolic and respiratory constraints that impact the athlete's energy expenditure. However, an approach relying on the measurement of muscle oxygen patterns has the potential to guide the rehabilitation of the skeletal muscle in physiotherapy and sports retraining and rehabilitation.

One of the foremost techniques employed for estimating post-exercise muscle oxygen consumption is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. However, this method is inaccessible to coaches and exercise physiologists. As an alternative, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology emerges, which facilitates the measurement of muscle oxygen levels before, during, and after exercise, thus providing data on oxygen dynamic changes in time.

Likewise, vascular function refers to the circulatory system's capacity (comprising blood vessels) to facilitate the transport of blood, and, therefore, the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to body tissues and organs, such as skeletal muscles. Within the study of vascular adaptations to exercise, there are certain variables of interest to researchers, including nitric oxide, endothelial capacity, vasodilation, vasoconstriction, blood flow and perfusion. The complex interplay of these variables as a response to exercise and their implications for athletes' health remains relatively unexplored in sports performance.

In the current landscape, thanks to innovative technologies, it’s now possible to indirectly measure the blood flow along with oxygen consumption in skeletal muscles during exercise and at rest. However, there are several scientific gaps in how these measurements should be interpreted to enhance performance. This is because isolated
considerations of blood flow and muscle oxygen levels alone do not satisfy the physiological understanding in the context of sports performance and rehabilitation. The findings must be evaluated in conjunction with other data and clinical factors for a comprehensive understanding of oxygen-related changes in muscle.

Currently, NIRS- muscle oxygenation sensors do not transfer practical information in the field of sport, partly due to the difficulty of establishing parameters derived from oxygen transport that show the advance or decline of performance in athletes.

In this topic, we aim to address the incorporation of novel technologies that provide insights into muscle oxygenation and vascular adaptations to exercise among athletes. In addition, it is intended to deepen the interpretation of how muscle oxygen interacts with other parameters related to sports performance and rehabilitation. Also, vascular adaptations to exercise can be complemented along with measurements of nervous system rhythm, cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary functions, the immune system, and conditions associated with reduced physical capacity in athletes.
Moreover, integrating data-driven methodologies, epitomized by artificial intelligence (AI), offers the potential to extract information objectively, reproducibly, and accurately. Additionally, mathematical models, algorithms, predictive analytics, and machine learning can further enhance the precision of muscle oxygen measurements. All this to understand the muscle oxygen interaction with physical performance.

We encourage exercise physiologists and sports science researchers to publish manuscripts on NIRS-muscle oxygen measurements in conjunction with assessments of vascular function through a variety of techniques. These techniques include measurement of blood pressure during exercise, ankle-brachial index (ABI), wave Velocity pulse rate (WOP), vascular echo-Doppler evaluations such as the endothelial function testing, exercise tests involving cardiorespiratory gases analysis and NIRS-sensors, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and assessing resting mitochondrial and microvascular capacities using vascular occlusions and arterial measurements.
Similarly, submissions of articles exploring novel technologies in the realm of muscle oxygen measurement and the investigation of vascular adaptations in response to exercise.

We would like to extend special thanks to our coordinators of this Research Topic, Aldo A. Vasquez-Bonilla and Rodrigo Yañez-Sepulveda, who are currently affiliated with the University of Extremadura, Spain and Andres Bello University, Chile. Their research interests include advances in muscle oxygen measurement in athletes.

Keywords: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), hemodynamics, Bioenergetics, Circulatory System, Athletic Performance, Fatigue, Sports Injuries, Functional Rehabilitation, Vascular function

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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