Medication and Supplement Use in Disability Football World Championships.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with an impairment comprise more than 15% of the world's population, many of whom can benefit greatly from participation in sport. The provision of medical services in disability sport is a challenging area with a lack of scientific evidence. Given the positive impact that sport can have on the people with an impairment, it is vital that measures are taken to better understand the medical issues posed by disability sport. It is well established that medications and supplements are overused in sport, particularly within professional football, but there is no current evidence on medication or supplement use in elite disability football.

OBJECTIVE: To examine and describe the use of medication and supplements in disability football, before and during international tournaments, and to identify the profile of substances used by category.

DESIGN: Prospective, descriptive, cohort study.

SETTING: International Blind Sport Association Football World Cup 2015 and the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football World Cup 2015.

PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred forty-two elite-level disability footballers, classified with B1 visual impairment or cerebral palsy.

METHODS: Team clinicians were asked to document all medication and supplements taken in the 48 hours before each match.

RESULTS: This study recorded the use of 1648 substances in 242 players, with more than one half (53.1%) classified as supplements. There was an overall rate of 1.26 substances used per player per match and a medication use rate of 0.59 medications per player per match. Seventy percent (170/242) of players reported using at least one substance per tournament, with 57.9% (140/242) using at least one prescribed medication (63.6% of players at International Blind Sports Association World Games and 57.7% of players at International Federation of Cerebral Palsy World Cup). The most commonly prescribed category of medications was nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, representing 39.3% of all reported medications.

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the potential overuse of medication and supplements in disability football, particularly in the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These trends are comparable to previous research in Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup competitions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Not applicable.