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Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Needle Electrolysis and Rehab and Reconditioning Program for Rectus Femoris Muscle Injuries: A Cohort Study with Professional Soccer Players and a 20-Week Follow-Up

Publicated to:Applied Sciences-Basel. 10 (21): 7912- - 2020-11-01 10(21), DOI: 10.3390/app10217912

Authors: Valera-Garrido, Fermin; Jimenez-Rubio, Sergio; Minaya-Munoz, Francisco; Luis Estevez-Rodriguez, Jose; Navandar, Archit

Affiliations

AD Alcorcon, Invas Physiotherapy Dept, Madrid 28922, Spain - Author
CEU San Pablo Univ, Madrid 28925, Spain - Author
CF Fuenlabrada, Reconditioning & Performance Dept, Madrid 28942, Spain - Author
Getafe CF, Invas Physiotherapy Dept, Madrid 28903, Spain - Author
Getafe CF, Reconditioning & Performance Dept, Madrid 28903, Spain - Author
MVClin Inst, Madrid 28600, Spain - Author
Train Movements Ctr, Madrid 28923, Spain - Author
Univ Europea Madrid, Fac Sport Sci, Madrid 28670, Spain - Author
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Abstract

Rectus femoris muscle strains are one of the most common injuries occurring in sports such as soccer. The purpose of this study was to describe the safety and feasibility of a combination of percutaneous needle electrolysis (PNE) and a specific rehab and reconditioning program (RRP) following an injury to the rectus femoris in professional soccer players. Thirteen professional soccer players received PNE treatment 48 h after a grade II rectus femoris muscle injury, followed by a the RRP 24 h later. Assessment of recovery from injury was done by registering the days taken to return to train (RTT), return to play (RTP), and structural and functional progress of the injured muscle was registered through ultrasound imaging and match-GPS parameters. Also, adverse events and reinjuries were recorded in the follow up period of twenty weeks. The RTT registered was 15.62 +/- 1.80 days and RTP was 20.15 +/- 2.79 days. After fourteen days, the ultrasound image showed optimal repair. Match-GPS parameters were similar before and after injury. There were no relapses nor were any serious adverse effects reported during the 20-week follow-up after the RTP. A combination of PNE and a specific RRP facilitated a faster RTP in previously injured professional soccer players enabling them to sustain performance and avoid reinjuries.

Keywords

AnteriorDemandsElite footballEpidemiologyFootballHipInvasive physiotherapyLeagueMuscle strainPlaying positionPost-injury performanceQuadricepsReinjuryReturnReturn to playRisk-factorsStrain

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Applied Sciences-Basel due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2020, it was in position 38/90, thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Engineering, Multidisciplinary. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q2 para la agencia Scopus (SJR) en la categoría Instrumentation.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 2.89, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jun 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-06-15, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 7
  • Scopus: 8
  • OpenCitations: 8

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-06-15:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 76.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 76 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 12.3.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 16 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.