Starting sporting activities post-Covid? Get ECG, blood tests done, say experts

Sports medicine specialists are urging Covid-19 patients to take an ECG and blood tests before starting sporting activities after recovering from the infection.

During a media briefing on Friday, Dr Renu Dadiala, consultant, Sports Medicine and Centre In-Charge, Interventional Pain and Spine Centre, advised a gradual increase in time spent for exercises and building endurances. She suggested ruling out myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) before taking up competitive sports post recovery from Covid since the virus is known to cause heart problems.

Shedding light on recreational sports and exercise in Bengaluru, she said: “There has been a rise in cycling and running clubs, fitness centres and gyms across the city where people go, especially, over the weekends. There are so many soccer clubs, too. They are training for international sports, be it tennis or squash, and there are schools catering to young athletes.”

People in the IT industry want to get down from the high-rise apartments and keep fit, no matter whether they have training or not.

“Any marathon in Bengaluru (for instance) will have people from all walks of life, including homemakers, participating,” Dr Renu said, adding that the Indian Army’s MEG Centre in the city also has Olympians and international players training in 25 disciplines.

Regarding injuries, she said people playing tennis, squash or badminton mostly have upper body, lower back or shoulder injuries.

“Depending on the posture, people even have cervical injuries and runners mostly hurt their knees.”

Most recreational athletes don’t undergo screening before taking up a sport and that is problematic, she said. “They don’t go to a doctor and ask if a particular activity is suitable for their body. They take up whatever fancies them and don’t consider if they are fit enough to play the sport or not.”

Any endurance sport, racket sport or running puts pressure on the lower back, Dr Renu said. “In my practice, I have seen lot of shoulder, lower back, knee and foot injuries whether they play throw ball, basketball or netball.”