2020 has been a year far from normal due to the impact of Covid-19. One of the groups most affected is students. Every day is different for them compared to a year ago. As a result of a socially distanced schedule, sports are one of the most impacted aspects of student life. Many sports seasons have either been delayed, canceled, postponed, or shortened. As a result, performance can suffer and injury risk can increase. Read below to learn more about the impact on athletes.
What Are the Effects?
Today’s athletic world is non-stop. It is more common to see kids of all ages on multiple sports teams, playing multiple positions, and playing year-round. To stay competitive, youth athletes are involved in offseason camps, personal training, and travel teams to keep themselves growing and improving. Covid-19 has changed this considerably.
Since March, sports seasons have been cut short, delayed, reduced in the number of games, or canceled entirely. Additionally, due to social distancing guidelines, many athletes are unable to participate in practice or training at their previous capabilities pre-Covid. As a result, fall sports in Massachusetts were delayed until September 14th, 2020, a time where most fall sports are typically fully underway. More recently, Massachusetts has had to cancel and close all skating rinks and hockey tournaments due to increased outbreaks throughout teams and individual athletes.
As evident, there is a clear deviation from the normal way of a student athlete’s life. Other than a disruption of routine, there are and will continue to be lasting physical and mental impacts. To start, with a significant closing of gyms and on-field participation in the initial phases of re-opening from the pandemic, many athletes become deconditioned. As a result of lack of exercise, many athletes entered or are entering their seasons with reduced strength and mobility compared to previous seasons. With this physical state coupled with reduced practice and ramp-up time to get ready for full sports participation, athletes’ bodies are at a much higher incidence of injury, as they are unable to contend with the demands of their sport compared to their usual amount.
Additionally, having less practice, games, and ramp-up time can negatively affect those athletes fighting for playing time. With less available resources to grow as players, coaches have been forced to rely on previous seasons’ experience with players, robbing some of a chance to demonstrate their abilities. Lastly, with less physical experience in meets and games, high school athletes hoping for a shot at college participation are at a disadvantage. With canceled seasons, colleges will have one less season to base recruiting and scholarship offers on which, unfortunately, negatively affects those that are not guaranteed to play.
Mentally, athletes are dealing with the repercussions of isolation from sports. Many athletes are used to a schedule of four to five days a week around sports participation. Now, many of those days are taken away completely, and athletes are forced to find other ways to use their time. Due to remote learning, athletes are finding themselves spending more time in front of their screen and less on the field. Many youth athletes identify themselves with their sport and feel like they are missing a part of themselves when they aren’t playing. All in all, the effects of a reduced sports season goes beyond that of lack of physical activity.
In short, student athletes are living a different life on and off the field than they were a year ago. Due to reduced sports practice and participation, performance decreases and injury risk drastically increases. Physical therapy can help athletes prep for their season with correct movement patterns to ensure they are ready the next time they step on the field. Injured from a rushed, shortened season? Take advantage of increased availability to get any aches or pains taken care of before it becomes a bigger issue. Don’t let a minor setback this fall season become a major injury down the line. Get PT today!
If you have any questions about this post or would like to speak with a physical therapist about an injury, give us a call at (978) 263-0007. We would be happy to answer any questions and discuss possible next steps.
Achieve Physical Therapy is currently open in Acton, Bedford, and Sudbury MA. We can see you in the office or by video treatment. If you choose to come into the office, we are following all CDC guidelines including the use of face coverings, cleaning, personal hygiene, and staggering patient appointments to limit how many people are in the office.
