Salivary Cortisol as a Measure of Stress in Australian Football League Footballers
Author(s): Warren M. Rozen, Genia Feldman, David J. de L. Horne
Abstract: Stress is known to inhibit recovery from sporting injury. Therapeutic interventions aimed at mitigating the stress response may potentially reduce the costs associated with sporting injury. Using salivary cortisol as a physiological marker for stress in athletes, an attempt was made to quantify physiological stress in Australian Football League (AFL) footballers. Samples were taken from all participants before commencement of the AFL football season, and following an injury in those players that sustained injury during the season. Among 96 male players from 3 football teams, 33 players sustained 48 injuries. Salivary cortisol was measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, using a commercially available radioimmunoassay kit. Despite adequate validation of the radioimmunoassay kit, the vast majority of samples measured undetectable cortisol concentrations. Salivary cortisol was thus found to be ineffective as a marker of stress in footballers.
Pages: 221-229
Download Full Article: Click here