Regional Anesthesia in the Elite Athlete

Patrick Meyer; Kristopher Schroeder

doi:10.1016/j.csm.2021.11.008

Regional Anesthesia in the Elite Athlete

Clin Sports Med. 2022 Apr;41(2):291-302. doi: 10.1016/j.csm.2021.11.008.

Authors

Patrick Meyer¹, Kristopher Schroeder²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792, USA. Electronic address: psmeyer@wisc.edu.
² Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792, USA.

PMID: 35300841
DOI: 10.1016/j.csm.2021.11.008

Abstract

Elite athletes are exposed to an elevated risk of musculoskeletal injury which may present a significant threat to an athlete's livelihood. The perioperative anesthetic plan of care for these injuries in the general population often incorporates regional anesthesia procedures due to several benefits. However, some concern exists regarding the potential for regional anesthesia to adversely impact functional recovery in an elite athlete who may have a lower tolerance for this risk. This article aims to review the data behind this concern, discuss strategies to improve the safety of these procedures and explore the features of consent in this patient population.

Keywords: Analgesia; Athlete; Consent; Nerve block; Nerve injury; Regional anesthesia.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anesthesia, Conduction* / adverse effects
Anesthesia, Conduction* / methods
Athletes
Humans