Neuromuscular Fatigue in Cerebral Palsy Football Players after a Competitive Match According to Sport Classification and Playing Position.

This study aimed to determine the rated perceived exertion (RPE) and match load (RPE-ML) to compare pre-post-match vertical jump (VJ) capacity according to cerebral palsy (CP) players' sport classes (i.e., FT1-FT3) and playing positions and to explore whether the neuromuscular performance variation is associated with the internal load of para-footballers with CP. Fifty-six male para-footballers performed two VJ tests before and immediately after a competitive CP football match, followed by measurements of the players' RPE and RPE-ML. There were no significant differences ( p > 0.05) in the pairwise comparisons for RPE and RPE-ML according to sport classes and playing position. A significant reduction in the VJ performance was found for each player sport class and playing position in squat jump (SJ) ( p < 0.01; 0.24 < d g < 0.58) and countermovement jump (CMJ) ( p < 0.05; 0.22 < d g < 0.45). Regarding the pairwise comparisons, players with the minimal impairment criteria (FT3) obtained higher deficit scores during SJ than those belonging to the FT1 and FT2 ( p = 0.003; 1.00 < d g < 1.56). Defenders experienced the lowest performance compared to midfielders and attackers in SJ performance ( p = 0.027; 0.94 < d g < 1.28). Significant correlations were obtained between ΔSJ or ΔCMJ and RPE or RPE-ML ( r = -0.58 to -0.75; p < 0.001). These findings provide novel information supporting the notion that fatigue induced after a competitive match causes notable impairments in VJ performance differentiated according to sport class and playing position in para-footballers with CP.