Pain and injury

The previous three chapters should be seen as comprising the cultural backdrop for what follows in the next three chapters. This chapter, with its focus upon pain and injury, should be understood in relation to the cultural environment surrounding sports medicine, the transformation from amateur to professional sport, and the roles that the body of sporting participants plays in both. The body is, of course, of prime importance here because it is quite literally the only tool with which a sporting participant has to work. ¹ Pain and injury have a fundamental impact on the body of individuals involved in sporting practice because, when they occur, they limit participation. The lack of ability to participate due to pain and injury becomes particularly crucial in an environment where sport is a professional concern, and the health of performers may be sacrificed for the betterment of the sporting organisation that supports them. This places pressure not only on the body of the participant but also upon the sports medicine team, which is confronted with the ethical dilemma of which customer to serve: the sporting participant, the team management or the sport's governing body.