Walking the line? An investigation into elite athletes' sport-related use of painkillers and their willingness to use analgesics to train or compete when injured
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2378656 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marie Overbye (0000-0003-4066-6360, University of Stirling, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1091-1115 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review for the Sociology of Sport (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1012-6902 • E-ISSN: 1461-7218 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1012690220973552 |
| OpenAlex | W3111834938 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 13 |
| References cited | 42 |
Pain and injuries are inevitable occupational hazards and health risks in athletes' working lives. The sport-related use of analgesics with and without injury is widespread. Taking analgesics to compete while injured is conceptualised as a sickness presenteeism problem. This study examines the complexity of the sport-related use of analgesics in elite sport. A mixed-method design was adopted consisting of a survey ( n=775) and interviews ( n=21) with elite athletes. Many athletes reported a sport-related use of analgesics. Analgesics had commonly been used to enable an injured athlete to: compete in an important match; train during an important period; qualify for an important match/final; and keep one's position on the team or have one's contract prolonged. In particular, team-sport athletes had experience of such use. Apart from the therapeutic use of analgesics, they were sometimes integrated into different routines: for example, enhancing performance, avoid lowering performance, aiding recovery, training/competing injured and prophylactic use. Simultaneously, many had refrained from using or sought to minimise their sport-related use of analgesics; reasons were related to: trust in/feeling the body, side-effects, knowledge and social norms. Social norms and interaction with support personnel played a key role. Physiotherapists and doctors often advised athletes on analgesics, but self-administered use was widespread. How risk cultures manifested themselves varied greatly between sports, and gender differences were scarce. Although 'absenteeism' is also present, a majority of athletes would be willing to 'walk the line', using analgesics to compete when injuries may threaten their career or sporting success
Athletes · Elite · Feeling · Physical therapy · Political science · Applied Psychology · Medicine · Muscle metabolism and nutrition · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sports injuries and prevention · Sports Performance and Training
Balancing risk and self-care
Is Injury an Occupational Hazard for Horseracing Staff
Hours on the Run—Does Boredom Matter for Ultra-Endurance Athletes’ Crises
Supporting effective setback management in high-performance student-athletes via an online intervention
Anyone who weighs up risks doesn’t belong here”
The Framing of ‘Playing Through the Pain’ in the Media
A Bourdieusian Approach to Pain Management and Health in Professional Cricket
Athletes' use of analgesics is related to doping attitudes, competitive anxiety, and situational opportunity
Sacrifice for success
Risk profiles for self-medication with analgesics among elite German handball players
Burnout symptoms in elite athletes
Balancing risk-taking and self-care
Theorising painkiller (mis)use in football using Bourdieu's practice theory and physical capital
Fastest, Highest, Strongest
An (un)desirable trade of harms? How elite athletes might react to medically supervised ‘doping’ and their considerations of side-effects in this situation
Presenteeism in the workplace
Pressure to play?’ A sociological analysis of professional football managers’ behaviour towards injured players
Healing the Body in the “Culture of Risk”
Medical Uncertainty and Clinician–Athlete Relations
Risk environments and drug harms
Techniques of Neutralization
Going ill to work - What personal circumstances, attitudes and work-related factors are associated with sickness presenteeism
Mixing methods in a qualitatively driven way
Methodological Practicalities in Analytical Generalization
Presenteeism in the elite sports workplace
The socialization of young cyclists and the culture of doping
Competing loyalties in sports medicine
Doctors Just Say 'Rest and Take Ibuprofen
Playing Hurt
Explaining Pain and Injury Attitudes and Experiences in Sport in Terms of Gender, Race, and Sports Status Factors
Adding insult to injury
| Unique citing works | 13 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |