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. 2011 Apr 25;6(4):e19022.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019022.

Soccer attenuates the asymmetry of rectus abdominis muscle observed in non-athletes

Fernando Idoate  1 , Jose A L Calbet, Mikel Izquierdo, Joaquin Sanchis-Moysi
Affiliations

Soccer attenuates the asymmetry of rectus abdominis muscle observed in non-athletes

Fernando Idoate et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the volume and degree of asymmetry of the rectus abdominis muscle (RA) in professional soccer players.

Methods: The volume of the RA was determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 15 professional male soccer players and 6 non-active male control subjects.

Results: Soccer players had 26% greater RA volume than controls (P<0.05), due to hypertrophy of both the dominant (28% greater volume, P<0.05) and non-dominant (25% greater volume, P<0.01) sides, after adjusting for age, length of the RA muscle and body mass index (BMI) as covariates. Total volume of the dominant side was similar to the contralateral in soccer players (P = 0.42) and in controls (P = 0.75) (Dominant/non-dominant = 0.99, in both groups). Segmental analysis showed a progressive increase in the degree of side-to-side asymmetry from the first lumbar disc to the pubic symphysis in soccer players (r = 0.80, P<0.05) and in controls (r = 0.75, P<0.05). The slope of the relationship was lower in soccer players, although this trend was not statistically significant (P = 0.14).

Conclusions: Professional soccer is associated with marked hypertrophy of the rectus abdominis muscle, which achieves a volume that is 26% greater than in non-active controls. Soccer induces the hypertrophy of the non-dominant side in proximal regions and the dominant side in regions closer to pubic symphysis, which attenuates the pattern of asymmetry of rectus abdominis observed in non-active population. It remains to be determined whether the hypertrophy of rectus abdominis in soccer players modifies the risk of injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: Jose A. L. Calbet is an Academic Editor for PLoS ONE. This study was granted by Real Madrid - Universidad Europea de Madrid Research Chair (2009/04RM). This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors. Real Madrid - Universidad Europea de Madrid Research Chair is a foundation which promotes research in the field of Sport Sciences (http://www.rm.uem.es/en/the-real-madrid-center-for-research). Funding is granted in open competition and there is no commercial relationship between the foundation and the researchers.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Relationship between the asymmetry in muscle volume of the dominant and non-dominant sides (expressed in percentage) and the rectus abdominis segments ordered in the rostro-caudal direction.
In professional soccer players (white circles) and non-active subjects (black circles). Not significant differences were observed between the slopes and intercepts (P = 0.14 and P = 0.85, respectively).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Rectus abdominis muscle volumes in professional soccer players and non-active subjects, after adjustment for the length of the rectus abdominis, age and BMI.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Differences between professional soccer players and non-active subjects in the muscle volume of the dominant and non-dominant rectus abdominis compared segment by segment, after adjustment for the length of the rectus abdominis, age and BMI.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Relationship between muscle length starting from the inter-discal L1-L2 space and the mean difference in the muscle volume of the non-dominant rectus abdominis, in soccer players compared to controls, after adjustment for the length of the rectus abdominis, age and BMI.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Differences between professional soccer players and non-active subjects in the percentage of asymmetry in the muscle volume of rectus abdominis, segment by segment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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