Phase angle differences between injured and uninjured athletes: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To compare the phase angle (PhA) values of injured and uninjured hemibodies in athletes (n = 138; 19.4 ± 5.3 y; 75.4 % men). Methods: A 50 kHz, octopolar bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA) was used to obtain PhA values and an orthopedic physical examination (OPE) was performed to assess injuries. The injuries were grouped according to body region, so that injuries in the right or left limbs (arm and/or leg) were grouped into “right injured hemibody” or “left injured hemibody’’. The uninjured contralateral hemibody was used as a control. The paired Student's t-test and Wilcoxon test were performed to assess the differences in PhA between right and left hemibodies. Results: Comparing uninjured hemibodies, the right side exhibited higher PhA (14.1 ± 2.0 vs. 13.8 ± 2.1, p < 0.001) compared to the left side. The uninjured right hemibody also exhibited higher PhA than the injured left hemibody (14.6 ± 1.9 vs. 14.3 ± 1.7, p = 0.032). Athletes with the right side affected by injuries presented similar PhA compared to their respective uninjured left hemibodies (14.1 ± 1.6 vs. 14.0 ± 1.5, p = 0.186). Conclusion: PhA is different between hemibodies, being higher in the right side, possibly because of the athletes’ laterality. However, the differences in PhA between hemibodies disappeared when the right side was injured, showing that the PhA was affected by injuries.