Abstract

Chronic pain (CP) is understood to be one of the leading causes of disability and poor quality of life and, has multidimensional components to its perception by those suffering from it. All individuals who suffer from CP perceive their pain through individualized experiences. However, notably, elite athletes facing CP appear to have significantly different experiences and needs navigating through CP due to their physical requirements within their specific sports. Previously published research has specifically focused on the management of acute pain (AP) in elite athletes and seems to have very little content around athletes with CP. Elite athletes suffering from CP rather than AP have complex demands placed on them such as their professional, recreational and social demands. Therefore, working with athletes with CP needs to incorporate all these facets and more. The following review will firstly focus on interdisciplinary pain management with elite athletes experiencing CP. Secondly, the paper will describe telehealth CP pain management with this population as well as group-based pain management programs (GPMPs). Finally, the therapeutic alliance (TA) and group dynamics (GDs) are described in this review as key variables that predict better pain outcomes for athletes going through telehealth programs.

Keywords: Elite Athletes, Chronic Pain, Telemedicine, Therapeutic alliance, Group Programs