Jahan Heidari

Recovery and Performance in Sport : Consensus Statement

The relationship between recovery and fatigue and its impact on performance has attracted the interest of sport science for many years. An adequate balance between stress (training and competition load, other life demands) and recovery is essential for athletes to achieve continuous high-level performance. Research has focused on the examination of physiological and psychological recovery strategies to compensate external and internal training and competition loads. A systematic monitoring of recovery and the subsequent implementation of recovery routines aims at maximizing performance and preventing negative developments such as underrecovery, nonfunctional overreaching, the overtraining syndrome, injuries, or illnesses. Due to the inter- and intraindividual variability of responses to training, competition, and recovery strategies, a diverse set of expertise is required to address the multifaceted phenomena of recovery, performance, and their interactions to transfer knowledge from sport science to sport practice. For this purpose, a symposium on Recovery and Performance was organized at the Technical University Munich Science and Study Center Raitenhaslach (Germany) in September 2016. Various international experts from many disciplines and research areas gathered to discuss and share their knowledge of recovery for performance enhancement in a variety of settings. The results of this meeting are outlined in this consensus statement that provides central definitions, theoretical frameworks, and practical implications as a synopsis of the current knowledge of recovery and performance. While our understanding of the complex relationship between recovery and performance has significantly increased through research, some important issues for future investigations are also elaborated.

Stress-related psychological factors for back pain among athletes: Important topic with scarce evidence

Abstract Health issues represent a frequent problem for athletes, as this particular demographic is repeatedly confronted with physically and psychologically stressful situations. Back pain (BP) materialises as comparatively common health problem being regarded as functionally limiting and psychologically straining burden for athletes. According to research conducted on athletes with BP, biomechanical and physiological mechanisms emerge as influential, whereas stress-related psychological factors appear to be neglected. For athletic injuries, the essential impact of psychological processes on injury occurrence and return from injury has already been corroborated. Hence, the aim of this literature review is to: (1) introduce a conceptual differentiation between injuries and BP; (2) summarise the results obtained regarding stress-related psychological aspects for injuries; and (3) connect the injury research to the state-of-the-art evidence regarding stress-related factors for BP among athletes. A distinction between injuries and BP could be established based on previous definitions, despite the fact that a considerable overlap between both concepts prevails. Injuries can be attributed to a physical origin, whereas BP frequently lacks this physical criterion. For BP, our enquiry yielded four studies including psychological measures of stress – with two studies specifically examining the association between BP and psychological stress among athletes longitudinally. Abundant findings from the general population support the importance of considering psychological and specifically stress-related factors in BP prevention and rehabilitation, but evidence related to the athletic field remains elusive. Further scientific investigations with a wider methodological approach are needed to deepen the knowledge about the crucial relationship between psychological stress, BP, and athletes.

Evaluation of the short-term effects of recovery tools in the rehabilitation of chronic back pain: a feasibility study

Abstract Background: Recovery represents an individualised, psychological construct serving as a buffer for health complaints and back pain. Recovery might also help in reducing chronic back pain (CBP) but has not been examined within CBP rehabilitation. Aim: Testing the acute effects of recovery tools to reduce CBP and stress and to improve recovery. Methods: A longitudinal, quasi-randomised pilot study with 55 individuals on sick leave caused by CBP was conducted. The acute effects of a multimodal out-patient rehabilitation programme were evaluated, while recovery tools were conveyed within the intervention group. The control group received regular treatment. Validated psychometric questionnaires to measure CBP, stress and recovery were used. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA indicated significant reductions for Pain Intensity (p < .001, ηp2 = 0.39), Disability (p < .001, ηp2 = 0.55), Overall Stress (p = .001, ηp2 = 0.19), and a significant improvement for Overall Recovery (p = .010, ηp2 = 0.12) in both groups. A more pronounced increase for recovery was registered in the intervention group considering the descriptive values. Conclusions: Both groups displayed significant short-term improvements for CBP, stress and recovery, while the intervention group did not show statistically superior effects. Long-term intervention effects should be monitored within the programme to assess the sustainable efficacy and feasibility of the recovery tools.

A practitioner’s perspective on psychological issues in football

ABSTRACT The challenges for professional football players are becoming more and more complex due to the multifaceted physical, technical, and psychological demands of the modern game. Psychological components have especially attracted the attention of science and are finding their way into practice. This overview article aims to discuss five psychological issues in football which the authors consider to be among the most relevant for sport-psychological practitioners. Each topic is structured identically: (a) topic description, (b) empirical evidence highlighting its relevance in football and potential impacts on performance, and (c) practical recommendations. The first two topics focus on the environment in football by discussing (1) organisational issues and (2) player–coach–parent triads within football teams. Subsequently, the central theme performance is evaluated. (3) How do health and well-being impact long-term elite performance? (4) How can the training of psychological skills enhance performance? (5) How does “choking under pressure” affect performance? It can be stated that sport-psychological football research has provided several important and meaningful findings so far which can partly be adapted to practical settings. An even stronger focus of research in applied settings is warranted to gain further insights into the psychological underpinnings prevalent in the world of football. From a practical perspective, the article may provide both researchers and practitioners with valuable input on selected psychological topics in football. The summarised research can serve as a starting point for further research or interventions in practical settings.

Stress and risk for depression in competitive athletes suffering from back pain – Do age and gender matter?†

Abstract Back pain (BP), a prominent problem for competitive athletes, is a primary reason for limitations in athletic performance and daily life restrictions. As studies on the relationship between psychological variables and BP in athletes are scarce, the aim of this study was to investigate stress and depression in competitive athletes with BP. In a cross-sectional design, data of 154 competitive athletes (51% female; Mage = 18.81 years, SDage = 5.05 years) were collected, assessing Performance stress, Socio-emotional stress, Risk for depression and Psychological well-being and the two BP parameters BP Intensity and Disability. Two multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict (1) BP Intensity and (2) Disability from Performance stress, Socio-emotional stress, Risk for depression and Psychological well-being. Multiple linear regressions demonstrated that Performance stress (β = .21, p = .01) was the only significant predictor of BP Intensity (F1,142 = 6.68, p = .01, R2 = .05), whilst Risk for depression (β = .24, p = .01) was the only significant predictor of Disability (F1,142 = 8.46, p = .01, R2 = .06). Neither gender nor age explained a significant amount of variance in the models. Study results showed that, as in the general population, the variables stress and depression are related to BP in competitive athletes. In particular, BP intensity was found to be associated with stress and BP-related disability was associated with depression, whereas age and gender showed no association with the BP parameters. A longitudinal investigation is warranted to determine the direction of the observed relationships.