Health in elite sports: a “bio-psycho-social” perspective

Ansgar Thiel*, Astrid Schubring, Sven Schneider, Stephan Zipfel, Jochen Mayer

*Corresponding author for this work

Publication: Contribution to journalJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Background: In the medical practice of elite sports, health, inJury, and illness are mostly handled from an exclusively biomedical perspective. However, research has shown that dealing with
health in elite sports is strongly influenced by a so called “culture of risk”. Athletes are willing to take extreme health risks in order to be successful in important competitions, and they find themselves in a permanent action dilemma between the necessity of risking and securing their own health at the same time. Our paper emphasises the importance of integrating psychological and social factors into health management strategies in elite sport.
› Method: The article is based on data from the German Young Olympic Athletes’ Lifestyle and Health Management Study (GOAL Study). This nationwide mixed-method study combines quantitative and qualitative approaches in order to gather a broad range of representative information on squad athletes from all Olympic disciplines as well as in-depth information on selected Olympic disciplines.
› Results: Injuries and pain are everyday epiphenomena of elite sports, already at young age. In many cases, injuries are the result of a complex interplay of biological, psychological and social processes. Athletes are used to train and compete under constant suffering of pain. In order to fulfil sports specific expectations they develop behavioural patterns that outside the context of elite sports would be characterised as harmful. The process of internalising these patterns already starts in adolescence. Coaches play an important role in this process. Athletes implicitly learn to partly give up their individual pain sensorium.
Translated title of the contributionGesundheit im Spitzensport – eine „biopsychosoziale“ Sichtweise
Original languageEnglish
JournalDeutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin
Volume66
Issue number9
Pages (from-to)241-247
Number of pages7
ISSN0344-5925
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.09.2015

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Health in elite sports: a “bio-psycho-social” perspective'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Citation