Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Medicine
Division of Sports Medicine
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) affects athletes of all levels. It is marked by decreased performance, often accompanied by one or more additional physiological and/ or psychological symptoms. These may include chronic fatigue, disturbed mood states, susceptibility to infections, sleep disturbances, persistent muscle soreness, and changes in resting heart rate. There are currently no clear guidelines for diagnosis or prevention of this debilitating condition. Several hypotheses attempt to explain various aspects of OTS, focusing on one or two specific symptoms, but all of them fail to give an emcompassing view on the problem. The focus of this project was to facilitate a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the many different and interelated aspects of OTS in a group of athletes presenting OTS symptoms. We compiled a battery of tests to investigate nearly all known OTS symptoms. These included: variation in heart rate, diet, mood state, performance tests and blood tests (concentrations of interleukin 6, cortisol and testosterone). This project is ongoing and we are attempting to find the best predictive model to determine OTS, by mean of statistical (discriminant) analysis. The results of the first three tests showed:
Increased resting heart rate and increased heart rate during a stressor in the OTS group. Changes were also found in the autonomic control of the heart during a stressor, when compared with a normal athlete group.
The OTS group rated higher in depression, anger, fatigue and confusion, and lower in vigour.
The nutritional intake of the OTS group was insufficient to meet their energy demands.
These significant differences found bewteen OTS and Non-OTS athletes stress the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to research on OTS in athletes.
Contact person: Mev CC Grant.
|
