Buckeye engineers team up with US Soccer to advance recovery science

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Buckeye engineers team up with US Soccer to advance recovery science

Relationship between Ohio State, US Soccer traces back to 2022 World Cup

The Ohio State University is partnering with the U.S. Soccer Federation to push the frontiers of recovery science - the quickly evolving discipline focused on restoring athletes' readiness between training, competition and injury. Through the university's Human Performance Collaborative (HPC), the partnership is translating laboratory science into practical tools and protocols for soccer athletes, with studies underway.

"This is one of my favorite projects," said Joshua Hagen, faculty director of the HPC and an associate research professor in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering. "I have a passion for recovery science, and I love working directly with athletes and end users. When you pair controlled studies and real-world context - actually talking with athletes about what works - you get the most meaningful impact."

At Ohio State, especially within football and soccer, recovery science combines measurement and modalities. Scientists measure workload via heart-rate monitors, GPS and session rating of perceived exertion, alongside physiological markers such as heart rate variability.

"Once we understand how hard their bodies are working and responding, we need to recover them quickly to get ready for the next day," explained Hagen. "We call these recovery modalities - everything from cold and hot therapy, to sleep and nutrition, to newer tech like red light and flotation therapy."

The relationship between Ohio State and U.S. Soccer traces back to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. At the time, a colleague of Hagen's who was then head of high performance for the U.S. Men's National Team approached Ohio State with a bold idea: Design and install a premier recovery facility inside the team hotel. That early collaboration set the stage for a formal partnership.

One of the partnership's flagship studies examines vibroacoustic therapy, operated within Ohio State's Shoemaker Complex, a state-of-the-art student athlete hub. Hagen describes the technology as "sensory-enhanced meditation and mindfulness" in which athletes recline in a cocoon-like device with intentionally crafted instrumental music and subwoofer-driven vibrations. Those vibrations mimic structured breathing patterns, like box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, which are known to nudge the body toward a parasympathetic, recovered state.

"It's very spiritual and relaxing," Hagen said. "Athletes might not realize that's what's happening - but they feel good, and physiologically their bodies are being pushed into a recovery state. It's a holistic approach that's both enjoyable and potentially very effective."

The collaboration also supports emerging scholars. U.S. Soccer and the university jointly funded Emaly Vatne, a former Ohio State soccer player turned researcher, through her PhD in exercise science and kinesiology. She defended her dissertation this spring and has begun working with Denver Summit FC, a team in the National Women's Soccer League, while completing her research.

"Elements of this collaboration have informed the design of our Recovery Lab and our broader effort to upgrade how we approach recovery across U.S. Soccer," said José María Oliva Lozano, the federation's director of performance innovation. "We see this as an important first step. There is still much to learn about the effects and periodization of different recovery modalities across ages, sexes and competitive contexts."

Ohio State researchers are approximately two years into the formal scientific program, according to Hagen. The team did a comprehensive literature review, found gaps and then launched targeted studies, including the vibroacoustic chamber study, which is about a year underway. He expects four or five mini studies to wrap up by the end of spring semester, with multiple papers coming out of the work.

Hagen's academic home is in the College of Engineering, but his role as HPC faculty director brings together engineers, exercise physiologists, medical doctors and physical therapists - reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of modern sports science.

"You have to know exercise physiology, but you also have to know tech, data and math," he explained. "Our team includes people who've lived the sport and can code the tools. That combination - domain knowledge plus technical depth - really matters when you're building solutions athletes will use."

The team expects findings to inform recovery access and protocols for athletes heading into major competitions. The collaboration with U.S. Soccer will continue through upcoming cycles of international competition, with an eye to scale, coach education and equitable access to low-cost tools.

"At the end of the day, we're trying to help athletes perform better, reduce injury risk, sleep better and enjoy longer careers," Hagen said. "And we want to do it the right way, with controlled studies, transparent reporting and direct conversations with the people we serve."

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