Painkiller use in amateur football: high prevalence, but limited misuse
This is the first study to record the use of painkillers in amateur football from the players' perspective with a large sample size. The lifetime prevalence of painkiller use among amateur football players in this study matches levels found in previous studies of amateur and professional sports. Most players take painkillers for medically justified reasons, with misuse being minimal. However, a minority of players show less responsible usage. Further research into the contextual factors influencing painkiller use is needed, and educational initiatives are important to improve awareness regarding pain management in football.
Authors
- Dominik Szymski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1739-8524)
- Johannes Weber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4838-9644)
- Volker Alt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0208-4650)
- Lorenz Huber
- Andreas Köpf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5323-827X)
- Johannes Ruether
- Markus Geßlein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3863-1580)
- Werner Krutsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2916-9606)
- Hermann Josef Bail
Institutions
- University Hospital Regensburg (DE)
- Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität (DE)
- Klinikum Arnsberg (DE)
- University of Regensburg (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Published
- 2025-11-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01396-9
- Primary Topic
- Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00