To describe the perceptions of South African elite and semi-elite athletes on return to sport (RTS); maintenance of physical conditioning and other activities; sleep; nutrition; mental health; ...healthcare access; and knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Cross- sectional study.
A Google Forms survey was distributed to athletes from 15 sports in the final phase (last week of April 2020) of the level 5 lockdown period. Descriptive statistics were used to describe player demographic data. Chi-squared tests investigated significance (p<0.05) between observed and expected values and explored sex differences. Post hoc tests with a Bonferroni adjustment were included where applicable.
67% of the 692 respondents were males. The majority (56%) expected RTS after 1–6 months. Most athletes trained alone (61%; p<0.0001), daily (61%; p<0.0001) at moderate intensity (58%; p<0.0001) and for 30–60min (72%). During leisure time athletes preferred sedentary above active behaviour (p<0.0001). Sleep patterns changed significantly (79%; p<0.0001). A significant number of athletes consumed excessive amounts of carbohydrates (76%; p<0.0001; males 73%; females 80%). Many athletes felt depressed (52%), and required motivation to keep active (55%). Most had access to healthcare during lockdown (80%) and knew proceedings when suspecting COVID-19 (92%).
COVID-19 had physical, nutritional and psychological consequences that may impact on the safe RTS and general health of athletes. Lost opportunities and uncertain financial and sporting futures may have significant effects on athletes and the sports industry. Government and sporting federations must support athletes and develop and implement guidelines to reduce the risk in a COVID-19 environment.
Medical illnesses and sports-related injuries both have an effect on athlete health and performance. Epidemiology of injury and illness has been extensively researched during international soccer ...tournaments and the European soccer season. Reports on injury location and severity differ across geographical regions, and there is limited information on injury epidemiology in African soccer leagues. No studies have investigated the illness burden in soccer in Africa.
This was a prospective cohort study involving two soccer teams over the 10-month duration of the 2015/16 Premier Soccer League in South Africa. Team medical staff recorded daily soccer exposure, illness and injuries. Team-based match and training exposure was calculated and used to determine injury and illness incidence and burden over the soccer season.
Overall injury incidence was 2.2/1000 hours, with match injury incidence of 24.8/1000 hours and training injury incidence of 0.9/1000 hours. Time loss injuries accounted for 33 of the 44 injuries recorded. The most common time loss injury location was the knee (14 injuries, 42%). There were 7 minimal, 4 mild, 12 moderate and 10 severe injuries. Sprain/ligament injury (8 injuries) was the most common type, followed by meniscus/cartilage injury (7 injuries). Eleven illnesses were reported during the season, with an incidence of 0.7/1000 player days, and most were minimal in severity (8/11). The illness burden was 1.7/1000 player days. The respiratory (46%) and gastrointestinal (36%) systems were most commonly affected.
The incidence of injury was comparable with data reported internationally and mirrors the increased risk of injury during matches versus training. The nature of injury differed in that the knee was more frequently affected than the ankle or thigh, joint injuries were more common than muscle injuries, and there was a larger proportion of severe injuries. The illness burden was very low.
To comment on and explore (1) the prevalence of clinical knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA); (2) the association between pain or function and clinical knee or hip OA; (3) the association between injury ...or surgery and clinical knee or hip OA.
Participants were recruited from FIFPRO members. A total of 101 footballers consented to answer (1) a developed questionnaire, (2) patient-reported outcome measures, and (3) be evaluated by their team physician for clinical knee or hip OA.
Of the 53% evaluated for clinical knee and hip OA, a prevalence of 9.43% and 7.55% of knee and hip OA, respectively, was found. There was a significant and strong association between knee (
= 0.033; Cramers v Value = 0.523) and hip pain (
= 0.005; Cramers v Value = 0.602) and clinical OA. A significant association existed between Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome short form Scores and clinical OA of the hip (
= 0.036). The odds of clinical knee OA were 1.5 and 4.5 times more after one or more injuries or surgeries, respectively. There was no association between playing position and clinical OA.
There is a low prevalence of a clinical knee or hip OA in the active professional male footballer. Pain may be a valid symptom to predict or monitor knee or hip OA. Validated assessment tools should be utilised to identify a negative effect on function. The odds of developing clinical OA in the knee with the number of injuries or surgeries. The hip presents with earlier clinical signs of OA compared to the knee.
Objective
Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ...pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Methods
Athletes (
n
= 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (March–June 2020).
Results
Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to “maintain training,” and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is “okay to not train during lockdown,” with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered “coaching by correspondence (remote coaching)” to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown, < 40% were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance 39%, interval training 35%, weightlifting 33%, plyometric exercise 30%) at pre-lockdown levels (higher among world-class, international, and national athletes), with most (83%) training for “general fitness and health maintenance” during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training sessions (from ≥ 60 to < 60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~ 38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification.
Conclusions
COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest desire to “maintain” training and the greatest opposition to “not training” during lockdowns. These higher classification athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training resources. More higher classification athletes considered “coaching by correspondence” as sufficient than did lower classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of athletes’ physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletes’ mental health. These data can be used by policy makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness).
Mask-wearing caused significant reductions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission. We aimed to determine whether face mask-wearing during exercise caused reductions in peripheral oxygen ...saturation (SpO
) and whether it affected secondary physiological measures end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO
), respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), expired breath temperature (EBT). Subjective measurements included ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), ratings of perceived breathlessness (RPB), and symptomology.
A randomised cross-over trial examined no mask (NM), surgical mask (SM) and a buff mask (BM). Thirty participants (30-45 years) cycled at 60% power output for 30 min in three exercise sessions, 24 h apart, within 6 days. Each session recorded all measures at resting baseline (T0), 9 min (T1), 18 min (T2), and 27 min (T3). Dependent statistical tests determined significant differences between masks and time-points.
SpO
decreased for SM and BM between T0 compared to T1, T2 and T3 (all P<0.005). BM caused significant reductions at T1 and T2 compared to NM (P<0.001 and P=0.018). Significant changes in EtCO
and EBT occurred throughout exercise and between exercise stages for all mask conditions (P<0.001). As expected for moderate intensity exercise, RR and HR were significantly higher during exercise compared to T0 (P<0.001). RPB significantly increased for each condition at each time point (P<0.001). RPE was not significant between mask conditions at any exercise stage.
SM and BM caused a mild but sustained reduction in SpO
at commencement of exercise, which did not worsen throughout short (<30 min) moderate intensity exercise. Level of perception was similar, suggesting healthy people can wear masks during moderate exercise and activities of daily living.
The present study proposes to measure and quantify the heart rate variability (HRV) changes during effort as a function of the heart rate and to test the capacity of the produced indices to predict ...cardiorespiratory fitness measures. Therefore, the beat-to-beat cardiac time interval series of 18 adolescent athletes (15.2 ± 2.0 years) measured during maximal graded effort test were detrended using a dynamical first-order differential equation model. HRV was then calculated as the standard deviation of the detrended RR intervals (SDRR) within successive windows of one minute. The variation of this measure of HRV during exercise is properly fitted by an exponential decrease of the heart rate: the SDRR is divided by 2 every increase of heart rate of 20 beats/min. The HR increase necessary to divide by 2 the HRV is linearly inversely correlated with the maximum oxygen consumption (r = -0.60, p = 0.006), the maximal aerobic power (r = -0.62, p = 0.006), and, to a lesser extent, to the power at the ventilatory thresholds (r = -0.53, p = 0.02 and r = -0.47, p = 0.05 for the first and second threshold). It indicates that the decrease of the HRV when the heart rate increases is faster among athletes with better fitness. This analysis, based only on cardiac measurements, provides a promising tool for the study of cardiac measurements generated by portable devices.
Background: COVID-19 imposed challenges on professional sport, with restrictions leading to the delay in the completion of the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL). Creating a biologically safe ...environment (BSE) provided a solution enabling the 2019/2020 season to be completed. Objectives: Evaluating the impact that the BSE had on player wellness and what coping mechanisms were used in the BSE. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to PSL teams on the final weekend in the BSE. It consisted of three validated psychology questionnaires. An additional section focused on the impact and coping strategies during the PSL's BSE. Results: A total of 37 completed questionnaires were analysed. General anxiety (4.7 + or -4.2) and depression levels (4.8 + or -3.9) were at an overall low. The health of the players, as well as separation from and concerns about family, were the greatest contributors to anxiety. Electronic communication with family and friends, social interactions with others in the BSE and time spent on self-reflection were important coping mechanisms for players. As time progressed, they adapted to the BSE. Conclusion: The BSE did not have a negative impact on the anxiety and depression levels of the respondents, with a variety of coping mechanisms key helping them adapt in the BSE. Keywords: isolation, sport, biologically safe environment, coping mechanisms, mental toughness
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