{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,28]],"date-time":"2025-10-28T18:44:36Z","timestamp":1761677076260,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,29]],"date-time":"2022-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1651190400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/bmj.com\/coronavirus\/usage"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Br J Sports Med"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and muscle strain injury in elite athletes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A prospective cohort study in three Belgian professional male football teams was performed during the first half of the 2020\u20132021 season (June 2020\u2013January 2021). Injury data were collected using established surveillance methods. Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection was performed by a PCR test before each official game.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Of the 84 included participants, 22 were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and 14 players developed a muscle strain during the follow-up period. Cox\u2019s proportional hazards regression analyses demonstrated a significant association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of muscle strain (HR 5.1; 95%\u2009CI 1.1 to 23.1; p=0.037), indicating an increased risk of developing muscle strains following SARS-CoV-2 infection. All athletes who sustained a muscle strain after infection were injured within the first month (15.71\u00b111.74\u2009days) after sports resumption and completed a longer time in quarantine (14.57\u00b16.50\u2009days) compared with the infected players who did not develop a muscle strain (11.18\u00b15.25\u2009days).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study reported a five times higher risk of developing a muscle strain after a SARS-CoV-2 infection in elite male football players. Although this association should be examined further, it is possible that short-term detraining effects due to quarantine, and potentially pathological effects of the SARS-CoV-2 infection are associated with a higher risk of muscle strain injury.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2021-104595","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,29]],"date-time":"2022-04-29T17:25:35Z","timestamp":1651253135000},"page":"818-823","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Association between SARS\u2010COV\u20102 infection and muscle strain injury occurrence in elite male football players: a prospective study of 29 weeks including three teams from the Belgian professional football 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