Soccer-related injuries pre- and post-COVID-19 lockdown in Saudi Arabia: an epidemiological study

Soccer predisposes players to injuries because it involves running, jumping, and interactions between players; players must maintain fitness through training and matches. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused a global lockdown, and the ministry of sports suspended all sports activities, forcing players to train indoors. This study aimed to determine the number and nature of soccer injuries per thousand hours of exposure pre and post the COVID-19 lockdown in Saudi Arabia.

A total of 45 soccer teams (630 players) competing in the amateur leagues were followed for two seasons (pre- and post-COVID-19 lockdown). The medical staff of the participating teams was requested to report all new injuries during matches and training. Exposure during all matches and training and number of overall, initial, recurrent, severity, and types of injuries reported pre- and post-COVID lockdown were recorded.

A total of 43 injuries were reported pre-COVID-19 lockdown in 50130 h of exposure (0.86 injuries/1000 exposure hours). A total of 91 injuries were reported post-COVID-19 lockdown in 47622 hours of exposure (1.91 injuries/1000 exposure hours). The injury risk ratio was 0.45 (0.31 to 0. 65; P=0.0001), suggesting that the injuries increased by 55% post-COVID-19 lockdown.

The study results indicated that the COVID-19 lockdown influenced soccer-related injuries, as the overall number of soccer injuries increased because of the COVID-19 lockdown.