Return to Play After the Diagnosis of Reactive Arthritis in a Professional Football Player

Abstract

In professional football, most of the injuries are traumatic; however, these athletes may suffer from rheumatologic diseases, that may present as sports-related injuries. Reactive arthritis (ReA) is classified as a sub-group of the spondyloarthritis family and is relatively rare. In this article, we highlight the successful return to play (RTP) process after the ReA diagnosis in an elite football player in the Portuguese first league. The athlete was able to RTP four months and one week after the diagnosis, had no ReA recurrence nor re-injury >8 months after RTP, and is playing at an elite level.