Key result
The post-COVID-19 season saw a significantly higher incidence of muscle injuries in Italian Serie A players than pre-pandemic seasons (p<0.001), with team positivity days strongly correlating with injuries (r=0.86).
Why the study?
The COVID-19 pandemic caused major upheavals in soccer, with many players infected, but the incidence of injuries before and during the pandemic had not been evaluated.
Does the post-COVID-19 season and COVID-19 infection increase the incidence of muscle injuries in professional Italian Serie A soccer players?
Observational
Does the post-COVID-19 season and COVID-19 infection increase the incidence of muscle injuries in professional Italian Serie A soccer players?
The post-COVID-19 season and longer COVID-19 positivity durations were associated with a significantly higher incidence of muscle injuries in professional soccer players.
Post-COVID seasons showed higher muscle injury incidence; leaves open whether infection or schedule disruption drives risk in athletes.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shocked the entire planet. The soccer world has also suffered major upheavals, and many professional soccer players have been infected with the virus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of injuries in Italian Serie A professional soccer players before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We evaluated the incidence of muscle injuries between four competitive seasons of the Italian Serie A (2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2018–2019 pre-COVID-19 vs. 2020/2021 post-COVID-19) in professional soccer players. Results: Significant differences were found in muscular injuries between the post-COVID-19 season and the previous seasons (p < 0.001). The median split of the players’ positivity duration was of 15 days. The players’ long positivity (PLP) group showed a significant number of muscular injuries compared to the players’ short positivity (PSP) group (p < 0.0014, ES = 0.81, Large). The total teams’ days of positivity were significantly related to the total team number of muscular injuries (r = 0.86; CI 95% 0.66 to 0.94; p < 0.0001). In conclusion, this data showed that the competitive season post-COVID-19 lockdown has a higher incidence of muscle injuries in Italian Serie A soccer players compared to the pre-pandemic competitive season.
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Annino et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Muscle injuries. COVID-19 pandemic and infection duration vs. Pre-COVID-19 seasons and short COVID-19 positivity duration was evaluated on Incidence of muscle injuries (r 0.86, 95% CI 0.66-0.94, p=<0.0001). The post-COVID-19 season saw a significantly higher incidence of muscle injuries in Italian Serie A players than pre-pandemic seasons (p<0.001), with team positivity days strongly correlating with injuries (r=0.86).
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