Blood creatine phosphokinase level as a recovery criterion in professional football players during the competitive period
Portable Biochemical Analyzer for Elite Sports Applications
Monitoring creatine kinase (CK) levels helps identify signs of increased muscle load and potential injury risk in athletes at an early stage. An increase in CK may serve as a signal to adjust the training process and prevent overload.
The device is used on the ISS (International Space Station), which confirms the high level of requirements for the system’s accuracy, compactness, and reliability under extreme conditions.
Microfluidics makes it possible to perform highly accurate analysis using a minimal sample volume. This enables fast results, compact design, and high reproducibility compared to classical dry chemistry methods.
Early risk detection helps prevent muscle injuries and reduce time away from play, which directly affects the club’s budget.
The club incurs direct financial losses when a player is sidelined even for a short period. The sporting asset loses value, while salary obligations remain.
Monitoring CK and other biomarkers helps detect overload earlier, adjust the workload, and reduce the likelihood of muscle damage.
When a player is sidelined, the club continues to pay for the period of absence.
The average recovery time for a muscle injury is 2 weeks or more.
The cost of the StarLab analyzer pays off by preventing just one injury.
An athlete’s salary (step 01), paid during the absence period (step 02), results in direct financial loss with each injury. Multiplying this by the number of injuries per season gives an estimate of total losses. Klinogicare StarLab is designed to reduce these losses.
Example: with a monthly salary of $80,000 and 5 injuries per season, total losses reach $200,000.
Regular biochemical monitoring shifts teams from reactive decision-making to proactive risk management, which directly affects injury reduction and improved sporting performance.
| Analyzer dimensions | L x W x H: 21 × 12 × 18 cm / 8.27 × 4.92 × 6.89 in |
| Weight | 2.9 kg / 6.39 lbs |
| Operating mode | Continuous |
| Operating ambient temperature | 10~30°C (50-86°F), indoor use |
| Atmospheric pressure | 86.0 kPa~106.0 kPa / Up to 2000 m (6562 ft) |
| Humidity | 40%~85% |
| Power requirements | 120 VA |
| Main supply voltage | 100-240 V AC, 50-60 Hz |
| Reaction temperature | 37°C (98.6°F) |
| Panel | Analytes |
|---|---|
| General Chemistry Ⅰ | TP ALB GLO ALB/GLO ALT AST TBIL DBIL IBIL TG CHOL HDL-C LDL-C GLU CRE UREA UA |
| Clinical Emergency Panel | AST CK CK-MB LDH α-HBDH GLU AMY CRE UA K+ Na+ Cl- CO2 |
| Renal Function Panel | ALB CRE UREA UA Ca2+ P CO2 |
| Liver Function Panel | TP ALB GLO ALB/GLO ALT AST GGT ALP TBIL DBIL IBIL |
| Myocardial Enzyme Panel | AST CK CK-MB LDH α-HBDH |
| Electrolyte Panel | K+ Na+ Cl- Ca2+ P Mg2+ CO2 |
| Glucose and Lipid Panel | TG CHOL HDL-C LDL-C GLU GSP |
| GLU, Lipids and HCY Panel | TG CHOL HDL-C LDL-C GLU HCY |
| General Chemistry Ⅱ | GLU AMY CRE UREA K+ Na+ Cl- CO2 |
| Liver and Kidney Function | TP ALB GLO ALB/GLO ALT AST GGT TBIL GLU CRE UREA |
| Ammonia Panel | NH3 |
| General Chemistry Ⅳ | TP ALB GLO ALB/GLO ALT AST GGT ALP TBIL DBIL IBIL TG CHOL HDL-C LDL-C GLU CRE UREA UA |
CK, AST, LDH, and α-HBDH help assess the level of muscle stress and the risk of injury after intense physical exertion.
TP, ALB, UREA, and UA provide insight into protein metabolism, recovery quality, and the risk of excessive catabolism.
K+, Na+, Cl-, and CO2 reflect fluid and electrolyte balance, exercise tolerance, and the risk of performance decline due to dehydration.
GLU, TG, CHOL, HDL-C, and LDL-C help monitor energy availability, lipid profile, and overall metabolic adaptation.
A simple testing format using pre-applied reagents on strips, plates, or chips.
A technology for precise control of small liquid volumes in microscale channels with integrated processing.
For basic rapid testing, dry chemistry is sufficient. For higher accuracy, multi-analyte testing, and automation, microfluidics is the preferred choice.
In sports medicine, priority is given to technologies that provide more accurate assessment of muscle damage and training load.
Dry chemistry is an analytical method based on reagents pre-applied to solid surfaces such as strips, plates, or chips. When a biological sample (for example, a drop of blood or urine) is added, the reagent reacts with the target components of the sample, and the result can be determined visually or using a special reader device.
Microfluidics is a technology based on the manipulation of very small volumes of liquid (microliters and nanoliters) in microscale channels, typically on microfluidic chips. This technology enables complex analyses on small samples by integrating several stages of the process (such as mixing, reaction, and detection) within a single device, including multi-component testing.
| Comparative characteristics of analyzers | Standard analyzer of the previous generation | Klinogicare® POCT testing system |
|---|---|---|
| Applied technology | Dry chemistry | Microfluidics |
| History | In 1965, Ames (now part of Bayer) introduced the first test strip for measuring blood glucose levels (based on dry chemistry technology) | In the 2000s-2010s, microfluidics became widely used in biomedical research and diagnostics due to advances in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). During this period, commercially available microfluidic devices began to appear |
| Control type | Semi-automatic | Automatic |
| Startup time | Ready for operation 10 minutes after switching on | Ready for operation within 1 minute |
| Sample material | Plasma, serum, whole blood (when using a special centrifuge tube) | Plasma, serum, whole blood (without the need for additional equipment) |
| Minimum sample volume | 250 μL of whole blood or 100 μL of serum | 100 μL (approximately three to four drops, regardless of sample type) |
| Built-in barcode reader | No | Yes |
| Printer for printing results | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions, weight | 33 × 20 × 18 cm, weight 5.5 kg | 21 × 13 × 17 cm, weight 2.9 kg |
The product appearance may vary depending on the supply region. Technical and functional parameters are identical for all device versions.
The paper examines in detail the variability of CK levels in athletes, the influence of age, sex, muscle mass, type of exercise, and climatic conditions, as well as the clinical significance of CK elevation after intense training.
The study performed a comprehensive analysis of blood markers in 73 professional athletes - cyclists, team-sport athletes, and strength athletes - at three time points: after rest, after 6 days of fatigue induction, and after 2 days of recovery.
In cyclists, fatigue-dependent changes were found for creatine kinase, urea, free testosterone, and IGF-1. For strength training and high-intensity interval loads, the most pronounced and stable marker was CK.
The publication shows that muscle tissue may be damaged after intense prolonged training under the influence of both metabolic and mechanical factors. Serum enzyme and protein levels are considered markers of the functional state of muscle tissue.
The most useful serum markers of muscle damage are named as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, aldolase, myoglobin, troponin, aspartate aminotransferase, and carbonic anhydrase CAIII.
The study evaluated the relationship between the frequency of muscle injuries, serum levels of creatine phosphokinase, urea, and training load in professional football players. The retrospective cohort included 23 players from a Colombian first-division team, and observation lasted 19 weeks.
In injured players, a statistically significant increase in CPK and urea was noted 4 weeks before the clinical manifestation of injury compared to their own preseason values.