LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Infographic. Pain or injury? Why differentiation matters in exercise and sports medicine

Photo from wikipedia

‘PaIn’ and ‘Injury’ are not, and should not, be consIdered synonymous Successful management of tissue injury cannot rely solely on pain responses because tissue healing is not directly related to… Click to show full abstract

‘PaIn’ and ‘Injury’ are not, and should not, be consIdered synonymous Successful management of tissue injury cannot rely solely on pain responses because tissue healing is not directly related to pain. Pain without identifiable pathology is common in athletes, and as a result medical labelling remains an ongoing challenge. Therefore, we argue that, for the benefit of athletes, there is an urgent need for a clear distinction between pain and injury (see Infographic). Synonymous use of pain and injury in research and clinical practice may negatively impact clinical management. First, benign and normal fluctuations in pain may be seen as signs of sportsrelated injury, which could impact performance negatively. Second, viewing all pain as a direct sign of tissue injury may lead to underprioritising of psychological and social aspects of returntosport. Third, athletes being told they are ‘injured’ can lead to unnecessary assessment and interventions, particularly when a clear clinical diagnosis is lacking yet the reports of pain remain severe. Last, when pain is linked to unconfirmed injury, fear and anxiety may be heightened. Indeed, current evidence shows fear avoidance, fear of reinjury and pain catastrophising are common in response to an injury in athletes. Thus, a clearer distinction between pain and injury, paired with a personcentred and educational approach, seems necessary.

Keywords: medicine infographic; pain injury; sports medicine; injury; pain

Journal Title: British Journal of Sports Medicine
Year Published: 2021

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.