A fingerprick blood test might be able to detect muscle damage and track recovery in elite athletes, including marathon runners, according to a study.
Marathon running can cause extensive muscle damage, known as ‘exercise-induced muscle damage’, which impairs an athlete’s performance and increases risk of injury, if they’ve not recovered completely.
The “easy-to-use” blood test, developed by researchers at Proteomics International and The University of Western Australia, detects muscle damage by measuring oxidative stress, known to be involved in multiple health conditions.
The test first identifies lurking muscle damage and then tracks how long recovery is taking, thereby helping coaches and athletes estimate when it is safe to return to training following intense exercise.
