Epidemiological Evaluation of Physical and Mental Health Complications in Athletes Aged 18-35 Years Following the Quarantine Period Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

In December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic urged governments to take unprecedented precautions to restrain the rapid spread of the disease. Those precautions included home quarantine, banning all public gatherings, closures of all recreational and sports facilities, and many other measures, which significantly impacted the global community. The present study aims to evaluate physical and mental health problems ensuing the quarantine period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in athletes.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 501 male and female athletes aged 18 to 35 years. To collect data, we used three standardized online questionnaires: sports injury, SF-36 quality of life (QoL), and Goldberg’s general health questionnaire.

In this cross-sectional study, 501 participants were recruited (375 female and 126 male athletes). Most injuries were related to the ankle (23%) and the knee (12.82%). The Mean±SD score of the QoL questionnaire was 30.43±3.79. The Mean±SD score of the general health questionnaire was 36.81±4.19.

The prevalence of physical injuries, especially in the knee and ankle joints, was high. Physical inactivity, lack of exercise, and psychological conditions governing society could cause changes in athletes’ physical performance and might be accompanied by musculoskeletal disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.