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W.S.A. Al Attar1,2,3, M.A. Husain4, M.S. Alghamdi1, Y.M. Alshehre5, R. Almalki1, L. Alitr6, M. Al Attar6, A. Qasem1, F. Alkabkabi1, H.A. Dorgham7, I. Alramadhani1, R. Banjar1, R.H. Sanders8
1Umm Al Qura University, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 2University of Basel, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Basel, Switzerland, 3The University of Sydney, Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, Sydney, Australia, 4University of Bahrain, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Sciences, Manama, Bahrain, 5University of Tabuk, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, 6University of Science Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, 7Alexandria General Hospital, Department of Physical Therapy, Alexandria, Egypt, 8The University of Sydney, Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sydney, Australia
Background: Continuous training and exercising are essential for athletes to maintain their physical fitness and prevent the risk of injuries. As a result of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social–distancing was considered the best way to limit the virus spread. Consequently, gyms and any training centers were shut down, and many athletes had to stop training. Thus, physical, and functional changes were expected that might negatively affect physical fitness and performance level.
Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the training exercises and injury prevention programs during the COVID-19 quarantine period among athletes.
Methods: A self-administered web-based survey was developed. The survey aimed to get information about the exercises and injury prevention protocols implemented by the athletes during the COVID-19 quarantine period. An additional goal of the survey was to investigate the type of exercises such as running, strength, stretching, plyometrics, balance, or injury prevention programs and the average training time. Eligible participants were invited from April to June 2020.
Results: A total of 606 respondents completed the survey, with a response rate of 80% from 132 countries across the world. Respondents majority were male (n=353, 58.3%), and aged between 30 to 39 years (n=175, 28.9%). Sixty-one percent of the total sample reported that they have been training during the quarantine period, consisting of amateur-level (n=180, 29.7%) and semi-professional (n=159, 26.2%) athletes. Squat, push up, single leg squat, side lunge were the top five implemented exercises with average training (30-60 minutes). Most injury prevention protocols (18.8%) were reported as non-specified programs, followed by the Knee Injury Prevention Program (KIPP) (12.5%) and iSPRINT Injury Prevention Program (10.6%).
Conclusion(s): Most athletes are continuing their training and exercise during the COVID quarantine period to keep their physical fitness level and to reduce the injury levels once they resume their regular training.
Implications: Athletes should be encouraged to remain active during quarantine periods and to follow injury prevention programs that are readily available.
Funding, acknowledgements: The authors received no financial support for the study.
Keywords: COVID-19 Quarantine, Athletes, Injury Prevention
Topic: COVID-19
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: UMM AL QURA UNIVERSITY
Committee: Scientific Research Ethics Committee
Ethics number: HAPO-02-K-012-2020-03-606.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
