The use of analgesics to mask the pain caused by
sports injuries is not recommended for long term health. Masking the pain
may enable an athlete to continue playing their sport in the short term,
but in the longer term, removing the body’s sensory receptors of pain
can leave the athlete worse off. It may also have the effect of
significantly impairing their performance.
Pain is the body’s way of say ‘stop!’. It
is telling you to rest up for a while and allow the healing process to
take effect. Treating the pain through the use of analgesics does not
treat the cause of the pain. Regular use of pain medications therefore can
lead to a worsening of the injury without the athlete realising the damage
that is being inflicted. A short term injury can, as a consequence, become
a chronic problem.
Pain or sports injuries are often the main
reasons athletes end up consulting physicians. Instead of merely treating
the pain, athletes should be encouraged to treat the cause of the pain.
There are a number of natural remedies and treatments which can provide
valuable help in the field of sports medicine.
Practices such as compression treatment, body
part elevation, and cryotherapy (ice therapy), provide non-pharmaceutical
relief and also assist the body’s healing mechanisms. Other more well
known alternative treatments include acupuncture, osteopathy,
chiropractics. These therapies can help alleviate the pain, but they focus
on the underlying causes of the pain or injury to effect lasting relief.
The use of analgesia to mask sports injuries is
not recommended because it removes the bodies sensory receptors of pain
and, regular use of analgesics, will invariably leave the athlete worse
off in the long run leading to a substantial impairing of their
performance and chronic musculo-skeletal disorders.
The message to athletes is, by all means treat
the pain, but don’t neglect to treat the cause of the pain.
