Can tracking one number help soccer players recover better?
Early warning system for player recovery? A series of case studies illustrating the application of individualised adaptive reference ranges in the longitudinal blood monitoring of English Premier League soccer players
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
IARR outperformed static ranges in detecting true abnormalities, especially when intra-individual variability was low.
Most people assume population averages are reliable — but this shows they can miss real issues in athletes whose bodies are unusually consistent.
Practical Takeaways
Track your own baseline CRP levels over time using point-of-care testing to spot unusual spikes that might signal overtraining or illness.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
IARR outperformed static ranges in detecting true abnormalities, especially when intra-individual variability was low.
Most people assume population averages are reliable — but this shows they can miss real issues in athletes whose bodies are unusually consistent.
Practical Takeaways
Track your own baseline CRP levels over time using point-of-care testing to spot unusual spikes that might signal overtraining or illness.
Publication
Journal
Biomarkers
Year
2025
Authors
Diarmuid Daniels, Davood Roshan, Nathan A Lewis, John Newell, G. Bruinvels, Paul Catterson, J. Harley, Micheál Newell, A. Barr, Charles R. Pedlar
Related Content
Claims (4)
Doctors use average blood test numbers to decide what's 'normal,' but those averages include sick people, so healthy people might be told they're unhealthy—and real health problems might be missed.
Doctors can use a quick blood test at the sideline to see if soccer players are under stress or have inflammation, just by checking a protein called CRP.
Instead of using the same CRP blood test numbers for everyone, doctors could tailor the normal range for each soccer player based on their own body patterns — this might help catch when they're stressed or injured earlier.
Scientists think that adjusting what counts as a 'normal' CRP level for each soccer player might help coaches spot when a player needs rest or medical care — but it won't tell you for sure if they're sick.