The Brain, Athletes, and Sports Performance

Course overview

Advances in pain science have showcased the importance of the brain. Functionally, the brain undergoes changes during a pain experience whereby areas of the brain are tasked to process issues associated with pain versus their normal tasks. Structurally, the brain also undergoes changes during a pain experience, with cortical maps shifting, which is associated with persistent pain. Athletes are not immune to these functional and structural changes in the brain. In fact, it's proposed that sports performance-the ultimate goal for an athlete-is significantly impacted when the brain experiences and processes pain. This course will showcase how the brains of athletes are impacted by pain and how this impact translates to sports performance. Additionally, neuroscience strategies are shown that may be of great benefit to clinicians treating athletes experiencing pain. This course applies to clinicians treating athletes of all kinds or treating any patients experiencing orthopedic injuries and pain.