Understanding Youth Athlete Motivation, Training, and Activity Progression During and After the COVID-19 Sports Interruption.
Elliot Greenberg, Eric Greenberg, J Todd Lawrence and 1 others
PMID 36518827WHAT IT FOUND
Youth athletes drastically cut training during pandemic shutdowns but preferred live online coaching over written plans.
Upon returning, many resumed high-frequency play quickly, leading to a notable rise in self-reported injuries and pain, suggesting a gap between assumed and actual readiness.
Key findings
01Most athletes reported a decrease in weekly training volume during the shutdown, with 40% reporting a decrease of more than half.
02Athletes strongly preferred live online group sessions for training over written workouts or independent design.
03After resuming sports, 25% of the follow-up sample reported sustaining an injury requiring medical attention, with muscle strains being the most common diagnosis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The survey instruments were not previously validated, so questions may have been interpreted differently by respondents. The sample was heavily skewed toward white athletes from the Northeastern United States, limiting generalizability. The follow-up group was small (n=43) and self-selected, which introduces potential bias in the injury and return-to-play data. Snowball sampling may have reached athletes with similar social and demographic characteristics, further limiting broad applicability. Data is self-reported and lacks objective measures of training volume or injury verification.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial or commercial affiliations. The study received no specific grant funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the 25% injury rate as a definitive epidemiological figure. It is based on a small, self-selected follow-up group (n=43) using non-validated surveys, so it reflects the experiences of a specific subset rather than the general youth athlete population.