Abstract

This study verified the relationship between body size and skeletal age (SA) with the behavior of blood markers of muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after a soccer match in the U-13 and U-15 categories. The sample consisted of 28 soccer players in the U-13 and 16 in the U-15 categories. Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and DOMS were evaluated up to 72 h after the match. Muscle damage was elevated at 0 h in U-13, and from 0 h to 24 h in U-15. DOMS increased from 0 h to 72 h in U-13 and from 0 h to 48 h in U-15. Significant associations of SA and fat-free mass (FFM) with muscle damage markers and DOMS were observed only in U-13, specifically at time 0 h, when SA explained 56% of CK and 48% of DOMS and FFM explained 48% of DOMS. We concluded that in the U-13 category, higher SA is significantly associated with muscle damage markers, and increase in FFM is associated with muscle damage markers and DOMS. Furthermore, U-13 players need 24 h to recover pre-match muscle damage markers and more than 72 h to recover DOMS. In contrast, the U-15 category needs 48 h to recover muscle damage markers and 72 h to recover DOMS.