Abstract
IntroductionThe coronavirus lockdown in 2020 resulted in a worldwide suspension of professional sports. The first major professional football league to restart after the lockdown was the German Bundesliga. This study investigates whether the injury incidence increased after the restart of the season with only 9 days of regular preparation time and without any friendly matches in comparison to three control periods.Materials and methodsIn a prospective cohort study, injury analysis (at least 1 day of absence from official football matches or training sessions) of the German Bundesliga registry was standardised according to Hägglund et al. (Br J Sports Med 39:340–346, 2005) and Fuller et al. (Clin J Sports Med 16:97–106, 2006) for data collection and to previous publications for the validated use of media sources for injury registration. The study period after the lockdown in May and June of the 2019–2020 season was compared to three control periods: the period directly before the lockdown, the beginning of the 2019–2020 season and the 2018–2019 season final.ResultsThe nine match days after the restart of the 2019–2020 season showed an overall injury incidence of 4.9 per 1000 h football. This rate was significantly lower than that of the previous season final (9 last match days, overall injury incidence: 6.9 per 1000 h football; p < 0.001) and not increased compared to the rates after the summer break (9 match days; incidence: 5.5/1000 h, p > 0.05) or the winter break (8 match days; incidence: 5.6/1000 h, p > 0.05).ConclusionThe period after the unexpected break in the 2019–2020 season due to the coronavirus lockdown and the rapid return to competition showed no increase in the injury rate compared to the pre-lockdown period and a lower injury rate than in the previous season final. The unintentional mid-season rest with its potential for physical recovery and individual fitness training seems to have had a positive effect on injury occurrence.
Highlights
The coronavirus lockdown in 2020 resulted in a worldwide suspension of professional sports
The current study investigated whether the period of 9 match days in 42 days between the restart and the completion of the 2019–2020 season in the men’s first professional football league in Germany (Bundesliga) had a higher injury incidence than comparable time periods in previous football seasons
787 injuries occurred during the 2019–2020 Bundesliga season
Summary
The coronavirus lockdown in 2020 resulted in a worldwide suspension of professional sports. This study investigates whether the injury incidence increased after the restart of the season with only 9 days of regular preparation time and without any friendly matches in comparison to three control periods. Results The nine match days after the restart of the 2019–2020 season showed an overall injury incidence of 4.9 per 1000 h football. German Football League (Deutsche Fussball Liga, DFL) and the German Football Association (Deutscher FussballBund, DFB) These hygiene standards—which are available online—mainly consist of a code of behaviour for players and staff, including social distancing, home quarantine, frequent PCR SARS-CoV-2 testing, frequent use of disinfectant and the consequent use of facial masks when not participating in sporting activities [17]. This constellation might have imposed a higher risk of muscle–tendinous injuries [9]
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