Athletes are usually thought of as healthy, fit people, but various issues in sports health and wellness address problems or injuries in athletes. Being aware of these wellness concerns can help prevent small problems from developing into larger ones, can help coaches better provide for their players, and can enable athletes to perform to the best of their abilities.
Female Athlete Triad
The female athlete triad is an important issue in sports and wellness. This is a set of conditions associated with athletic training: disordered eating, amenhorrhea and osteoporosis. Disordered eating may range from binging and purging to restricting food, and may not meet criteria for a clinical eating disorder. Amenorrhea is the loss of menstrual periods, and osteoporosis is the loss of bone density. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, or AAFP, although the percentage of athletes with this condition is not known, studies of female athletes have shown higher rates of disordered eating and amenorrhea. Combined with the intensity of athletic training and disordered eating, the body cannot menstruate and produce enough estrogen, thus increasing the risk of bone loss. The AAFP says that a major tool to prevent this syndrome is education of coaches, parents, teachers and athletes about warning signs and how to get treatment.
Performance-Enhancing Substances
Some athletes turn to performance-enhancing drugs to improve their athleticism, but these can be dangerous. Anabolic steroids are one kind of performance-enhancing drug. These have been found to build skeletal muscle, which makes these drugs especially attractive to bodybuilders and athletes, says the Office of National Drug Control Policy. These can be injected into a muscle, taken orally or rubbed onto the skin. Another kind of substance abuse is called blood doping, using a substance called erythropoietin, or EPO. EPO is a synthetic version of a hormone that naturally occurs in the body that produces red blood cells. When more blood cells are produced, more hemoglobin is produced, which carries more oxygen through the blood to the muscles. This causes an increase in performance, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Rehabilitation
Following an injury, an athlete needs a period of rest or rehabilitation, which can take many forms. According to the "Manual of Sports Medicine," the main goal of rehabilitation for sports-related injuries is maximal restoration of function. To do this, get an accurate diagnosis; stabilize the acute injury; and set aside a period of time for healing while maintaining other components of fitness, such as cardiovascular fitness and then a return to normal functioning, says the "Manual of Sports Medicine." To help the athlete with rehabilitation, athletic trainers, sports medicine doctors, orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists may be needed.
Sports-Specific Injuries
Although many issues in sports health and wellness are present in every sport, there are sport-specific concerns as well. In contact sports such as football, head injuries are a common concern, as well as how to minimize the damage done with tackling. Issues in gymnastics include nutritional issues, growth problems from high-intensity training and orthopaedic injuries, says the "Manual of Sports Medicine." Each sport brings its own issues, and professionals in these fields should be educated about specific sports-related issues.
References
- American Academy of Family Physicians: "American Family Physician": The female athlete triad
- Office of National Drug Control Policy: Steroid Facts and Figures
- National Strength and Conditioning Association: Erythropoietin and Blood Doping
- Manual of Sports Medicine: Safran, M; McKeag, D; Van Camp, S. (Eds): 1998
