Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after COVID-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play
| Autor: | Damir Sekulic, Toni Modric, Jasna Nincevic, Sarah Cuschieri, Ante Bandalovic, Boris Becir, Ante Turic, Anamarija Jurcev Savicevic, Šime Veršić |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak football Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis prevalence Football Article SARS-CoV-2 performance global positions system Young Adult Pcr test Soccer Humans Medicine Young adult Pandemics COVID-19 (Disease) -- Social aspects biology Athletes business.industry Sports -- Health aspects -- Case studies Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health COVID-19 biology.organism_classification Return to play Return to Sport Observational study COVID-19 Pandemic 2020- -- Social aspects business Soccer players -- Case studies Demography |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 11688, p 11688 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 1660-4601 1661-7827 |
| Popis: | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in sport has been the subject of numerous studies over the past two years. However, knowledge about the direct impact of COVID-19 infection on the performance of athletes is limited, and the importance of studies on this topic is crucial during the current pandemic era. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the match running performance (MRP) of professional soccer players that occurred as a result of COVID-19 infection after fulfilling all of the prerequisites for a safe return to play (RTP). The participants were 47 professional soccer players from a team which competed in first Croatian division (21.6 years old on average) during the 2020/21 season. The total sample was divided into two subgroups based on the results of a PCR test for COVID-19, where 31 players tested positive (infected) and 16 tested negative. We observed the PCR test results (positive vs. negative PCR), the number of days needed to return to the team, number of days needed to RTP after quarantine and isolation, and MRP (10 variables measured by a global positioning system). The number of days where the infected players were not included in the team ranged from 7 to 51 (Median: 12). Significant pre- to post-COVID differences in MRP for infected players were only found for high-intensity accelerations and high-intensity decelerations (t-test = 2.11 and 2.13, respectively; p < 0.05, moderate effect size differences), with poorer performance in the post-COVID period. Since a decrease of the MRP as a result of COVID-19 infection was only noted in two variables, we can highlight appropriateness of the applied RTP. However, further adaptations and improvements of the RTP are needed with regard to high-intensity activities. peer-reviewed |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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