• Dieter Leyk, Thomas Rüther, Nadine Hartmann, Emanuel Vits, Markus Staudt, and Manuela Andrea Hoffmann.
• German Sport University Cologne, Research Group Epidemiology of Performance, Cologne; University of Koblenz; Bundeswehr Institute for Preventive Medicine, Division A Applied Health Promotion, Andernach; Bundeswehrzentralkrankenhaus Koblenz, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Koblenz; University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
• Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2023 Mar 10; 120 (10): 155161155-161.

BackgroundConsumption of medication to alleviate pain is widespread in Germany. Around 1.9 million men and women take analgesics every day; some 1.6 million persons are addicted to painkillers. Analgesic use is thought also to be common in sports, even in the absence of pain. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of painkiller use among athletes.MethodsIn line with the PRISMA criteria and the modified PICO(S) criteria, a systematic literature review was registered (Openscienceframework, https://doi. org/10.17605/OSF.IO/VQ94D) and carried out in PubMed and SURF. The publications identified (25 survey studies, 12 analyses of doping control forms, 18 reviews) were evaluated in standardized manner using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) and AMSTAR (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews).ResultsAnalgesic use is widespread in elite sports. The prevalence varies between 2.8% (professional tennis) and 54.2% (professional soccer). Pain medication is also taken prophylactically in the absence of symptoms in some non-elite competitive sports. In the heterogeneous field of amateur sports the data are sparse and there is no reliable evidence of wide-reaching consumption of painkillers. Among endurance athletes, 2.1% of over 50 000 persons stated that they used analgesics at least once each month in connection with sports.ConclusionAnalgesic use has become a problem in many areas of professional/ competitive sports, while the consumption of pain medication apparently remains rare in amateur sports. In view of the increasing harmful use of or even addiction to painkillers in society as a whole, there is a need for better education and, above all, restrictions on advertising.

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