Key result
Among 72 athletes infected with COVID-19, 100% were able to successfully return to play, although significant discrepancies exist in recommended rest periods and screening guidelines.
Why the study?
The study was conducted to evaluate reported rates of return to play alongside expert-derived guidelines recommended to enable safe return to play after COVID-19 infection.
What are the reported rates of return to play and the recommended guidelines for safe return to play post COVID-19 infection in elite athletes?
Systematic Review (n=1,878)
What are the reported rates of return to play and the recommended guidelines for safe return to play post COVID-19 infection in elite athletes?
While elite athletes show excellent rates of return to play following COVID-19 infection, there is a lack of consensus regarding rest periods, screening investigations, and testing requirements, highlighting the need for standardized international guidelines.
Supports safe RTP post-COVID in athletes; leaves open standardized rest and screening guidelines.
CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has had catastrophic impact on a global scale, affecting people from all walks of life including elite athletes. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reported rates of return to play (RTP) in conjunction with the expert-derived guidelines previously recommended to enable safe RTP post COVID-19 infection. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Two independent reviewers searched the literature based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, utilizing the MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases. Only studies that reported rates of RTP and/or recommended guidelines for safe RTP were included. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Overall, 17 studies (3 level III and 14 level V) were included. A total of 3 studies reported rates of RTP in a total of 1255 athletes and 623 officials; 72 (30 symptomatic) were infected with COVID-19, 100% of whom were able to RTP post COVID-19 infection. Of the 14 studies recommending guidelines for safe RTP, 3 and 9 studies recommended 7 and 14 days of rest in isolation respectively for asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 infection, prior to safe RTP. In contrast, 7 studies recommended 3 to 6 months of rest (following 14 d isolation) in cases of COVID-19-induced myocarditis as a safe timeframe for safe RTP. Of the 11 studies reporting on whether blanket testing prior to RTP was recommended, only 7 studies recommended a negative test result as mandatory prior to RTP for athletes previously infected with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Although excellent rates of RTP have been reported for elite athletes post COVID-19 infection, discrepancies in recommended rest periods, requirement for mandatory negative test results, and the magnitude of screening investigations required continue to exist in the literature, with a need for further standardized international guidelines required in future. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V; systematic review of all forms of evidence.
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Davey et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review in COVID-19 infection (n=1,878). Return to play guidelines was evaluated on Rates of return to play (RTP). Among 72 athletes infected with COVID-19, 100% were able to successfully return to play, although significant discrepancies exist in recommended rest periods and screening guidelines.
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