Investigating Painkiller Use in Amateur Football: A Coach’s Perspective

URN to cite this document:: urn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-593134
DOI to cite this document:: 10.5283/epub.59313

Kopf, Andreas ; Krutsch, Werner ; Szymski, Dominik

; Weber, Johannes

; Alt, Volker

; Bail, Hermann Josef ; Engel, Niklas ; Rüther, Johannes ; Huber, Lorenz Maria

License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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Date of publication of this fulltext: 01 Oct 2024 15:02

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Painkiller use in amateur sports and, especially, in football is
increasingly being discussed, but the scientific data on this field are very limited. Therefore, the
aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of painkiller use in amateur football from the
perspective of coaches, as well as to determine how and to which extent coaches can influence
their teams in terms of painkiller use and prevention. Methods: Using an online questionnaire, a
cross-sectional analysis of painkiller use in German amateur football from the 4th league to the lowest
amateur classes was carried out from the perspective of team coaches. A total of 628 participants
were contacted, and 400 (63.7%) completed the questionnaire completely and were therefore included
in the evaluation. Results: Of the 400 participating team coaches in amateur football, 369 (92.3%)
were male and 31 (7.7%) were female. The coaches reported that 36.2% (SD = 29.1) of their players
have used painkillers at some point due to football-related pain in their career. The majority of
coaches believed that the use of painkillers is not compatible with competition (74%), and even more
believed that it is not compatible with football training (90.8%). Furthermore, 56.2% of the coaches
themselves had already taken painkillers in their own football career for football-related pain, and
64% had already bought over-the-counter painkillers without a prescription. The use of painkillers
increased in the higher playing levels. The availability of painkillers in first aid kits was reported
by around 60%, but they were reported as freely accessible in the dressing room by only 10% of the
coaches. Conclusions: This is the first study to describe the painkiller use in amateur football from the
perspective of coaches. The prevalence of painkiller use in this study was found to be significantly
lower than what is indicated in the data from the existing literature. The majority of coaches see the
use of painkillers during games and training as incompatible, even though there is a large proportion
of coaches who have already bought over-the-counter painkillers for football-related pain. As the
first scientific analysis of team coaches, this study provides fundamental data for the prevention of
excessive painkiller use in amateur football.

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