Differences in Perceived Soreness Between Male and Female Collegiate Soccer Athletes

Perceived soreness is commonly tracked in competitive athletes as an injury prevention method to identify athletes who may be experiencing negative effects from training. Since injury rates are different between males and females, perceived soreness could provide insight into how athletes respond from competitive training bouts and how injuries manifest. PURPOSE: To determine the differences in lower extremity perceived soreness intensity between male and female collegiate soccer athletes. METHODS: Fifty-five soccer athletes (28 M, 27F, age = 20.7 ± 1.6 years, height = 173.6 ± 8.3 cm, mass = 72.2 ± 8.1 kg) completed daily surveys of perceived soreness on a smartphone. After indicating the location of perceived soreness on a body map, the participants also indicated the soreness intensity, on a scale from 1-10. The locations of perceived soreness were reduced into the following lower extremity locations: glute, quadricep, foot, hip, hamstring, knee, calf, and lower back. The median soreness intensity was used for data analysis from each individual at each lower extremity location. A separate Kruskal-Wallis Test was used for each lower extremity location to determine the differences in perceived soreness intensity, and the eta squared statistic was used to determine the magnitude of differences between sex. All analyses were considered significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Over 3000 survey responses were collected (males = 2033, females = 1411). There was a significant difference in perceived soreness intensity at the lower back between male and female participants (H (1) = 4.67, P = 0.031). Females reported higher soreness than males, and the eta squared statistic revealing a large effect (η2 = 0.167). The eta squared indicated a moderate effect between males and females at the hip (η2 = 0.664), but the Kruskal-Wallis test was insignificant (H (1) = 2.86, P = 0.091). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived soreness intensity significantly differs between males and female collegiate soccer athletes at the lower back. There does not appear to be a significant difference at other soreness locations, although future analysis should be performed with more participants. Perceived soreness intensity may be interpreted and used similarly when used in male and female athletes.