{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,25]],"date-time":"2026-10-25T05:59:00Z","timestamp":1792907940800,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770249600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Spanish Ministerio de Educaci\u00f3n","award":["FPU20\/03649"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FPU20\/03649"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004895","name":"Junta de Andaluc\u00eda and the European Social Fund Plus","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DGP_POST_2024_00864"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DGP_POST_2024_00864"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004895","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Due to the congested competition calendar and the high physical demands of elite basketball, the selection of effective recovery strategies is essential to optimize performance and reduce exercise-induced fatigue and muscle damage. This pilot study aimed to examine the acute effects of different nutritional and physical recovery strategies on exercise performance, muscle damage, and perceived fatigue and exertion in elite basketball players. Methods: Fifteen elite male basketball players participated in this pilot randomized crossover trial and completed four recovery conditions: cold-water immersion (CWI), active recovery (ACT), protein\u2013carbohydrate supplementation (SUP), and placebo (PLA). Following a basketball-specific fatigue protocol, creatine kinase, countermovement jump performance, isometric strength, 10 m sprint, and 4 \u00d7 10 m shuttle run tests were assessed at baseline, immediately post-exercise, and 24 h post-exercise. Perceived fatigue and rate of perceived exertion were measured at baseline, immediately post-exercise, immediately after the recovery intervention, and 24 h post-exercise. Results: The three recovery methods attenuated the 24 h exercise-induced increase in CK compared with the placebo condition (p &gt; 0.05). CWI, SUP and ACT decreased fatigue and RPE immediately after their application (p &lt; 0.05), while PLA kept them elevated. CWI was associated with a significant improvement in 4 \u00d7 10 m SRT performance (p = 0.027). Conclusions: Nutritional supplementation and physical recovery strategies effectively attenuated exercise-induced muscle damage and fatigue in elite basketball players. However, CWI demonstrated the most pronounced acute benefits for physical performance recovery.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16020275","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T10:35:37Z","timestamp":1770287737000},"page":"275","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Acute Effects of Nutritional and Physical Recovery Strategies on Exercise Performance, Muscle Damage, and Fatigue in Elite Basketball Players: A Pilot Randomized Crossover Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0545-367X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Mar\u00edn-Galindo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica de C\u00e1diz (INiBICA), Universidad de C\u00e1diz, 11009 C\u00e1diz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9849-5544","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alejandro","family":"Perez-Bey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica de C\u00e1diz (INiBICA), Universidad de C\u00e1diz, 11009 C\u00e1diz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan M.","family":"Escudier-V\u00e1zquez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fundaci\u00f3n Para la Gesti\u00f3n de la Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica de C\u00e1diz, Hospital Puerta del Mar, 9\u00aa Planta, Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n, 11009 C\u00e1diz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6270-9208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Vel\u00e1zquez-D\u00edaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica de C\u00e1diz (INiBICA), Universidad de C\u00e1diz, 11009 C\u00e1diz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2575-7168","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julio","family":"Calleja-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Education and Sport Department, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of the Basque Country (UPV\/EHU), 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4822-7218","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"Vaz-Pardal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Andalusian Center of Sport Medicine, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 41092 C\u00e1diz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6574-9827","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan","family":"Corral-P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica de C\u00e1diz (INiBICA), Universidad de C\u00e1diz, 11009 C\u00e1diz, Spain"},{"name":"School of Health Sciences, International University of La Rioja, 26004 Logro\u00f1o, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5982-7761","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jesus G.","family":"Ponce-Gonzalez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica de C\u00e1diz (INiBICA), Universidad de C\u00e1diz, 11009 C\u00e1diz, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"740","article-title":"Profiling in basketball: Physical and physiological characteristics of elite players","volume":"20","author":"Ostojic","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. 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