PAIN PERCEPTION IN ATHLETES: A BRIEF REVIEW.

Pain is almost synonymous with sport. For many athletes, pain is a normal everyday experience and success is often achieved in spite of pain. However, pain can restrict the ability to concentrate on performance and take away the opportunity to compete. It can even end sporting careers. Therefore, the relationship between pain and sport is filled with challenges for athletes. One consequence and response that sport researchers have focused on is the pain associated with injury. Sport medicine professionals have directed the major part of their research and rehabilitation attention towards the physical recovery, but psychological factors are also very important for injured athletes. In this review, the general trends of pain problems in sport are discussed.