Issues in Sports Health Wellness

Health and wellness issues in sports medicine are focused on rehabilitation and injury prevention. Athletes are invested in performing at their best. Long-term damage from overtraining and injuries is considered destructive to an athlete's career.

  1. Supplements

    • Competition pressures drive many athletes to use steroids that interfere with normal functions of the body. A dangerous supplement that was marketed for body builders in the 1980s is GHB. This drug has been banned because it is highly addictive, although it was once legally promoted for athletes.

    Vegan Athletes

    • More recently, socially conscious athletes have embraced both Eastern and Western philosophies for training. Whole-body health ensures that the cost of training does not require long-term damage to your body. Sports medicine has evolved to include more Eastern philosophical practices such as acupuncture, massage and a whole-foods diet.

    Overtraining

    • Training to exhaustion causes stress. A training regime that emphasizes diverse activities and includes massage are preferable. "No pain, no gain" is a phrase that is entirely outdated for athletic fitness. Strength training alone can cause muscle fatigue and serious, irreparable damage.

    Career Age Limits

    • Most professional athletes understand there is a time limit to their careers. Many plan to retire from competition before age 30. This reinforces pressure to maintain health and vitality. Sports careers can be short, and recovery from injuries can be life-altering.

    Women vs. Men

    • The training techniques regarding volume, intensity and program design are based on physiology despite the wide difference in overall strength between men and women athletes. Health and wellness issues continue to face traditional gender-role stereotypes. Men typically have a taller, wider frame, but building muscle applies to both sexes.