Overtraining Syndrome in Competitive Athletes
Too Much Training Can Decrease Performance
Jun 12, 2009
Overtraining syndrome (OTS) is a disorder seen in endurance and highly competitive athletes in which the athlete experiences chronic fatigue from training without adequate rest. This condition is considered a systemic overuse syndrome affecting the “systems” of the body rather than a specific musculoskeletal tissue.
Physiologically, the body responds and adapts to the stressors placed upon it. This is known as the SAID principle: Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. When applied to an athlete’s training, the athlete pushes the body harder than it is used to. The body’s response is to adapt to the stressors by getting stronger (muscles, tendons, bones, heart).
Risk Factors for Overtraining Syndrome
When training is applied with adequate rest, an athlete will see a continuous improvement of his/her physiological systems including cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal. However, there is a limit to what the body can adapt and adjust to.
Factors that may place an athlete at risk for OTS include:
- Intensive training with sudden large volume increases in load
- Stress of competition
- Physical stresses
- Psychological stress
- Year round training
Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining Syndrome
According to an article in the American Family Physician (July 15, 2007) and an article in the British Medical Journal (August, 1994), overtraining syndrome has some clearly defined signs and symptoms including:
- Decreased performance
- Generalized fatigue
- Mood disturbance
- Sleep disturbances
- Increased rates of illness and injury
- Depression
- Loss of appetite and weight
- Frequent minor illness (particularly upper respiratory infections)
- Increased resting pulse rate
Because there are no specific serological tests for overtraining syndrome, other fatigue syndromes need to be ruled out. Once a diagnosis is made, the focus needs to be on recovery. The challenge with recovery in highly competitive athletes is convincing the athlete that appropriate rest will eventually enhance performance.
Management of Overtraining Syndrome
According to Dr. Richard Budgett, medical officer at the British Olympic Medical Centre, management of OTS is similar to the management of chronic fatigue syndrome and requires a holistic approach focusing on rest and regeneration (August, 1994). Five weeks of rest had been shown to improve both performance and mood. Research also demonstrated that light exercise during these five weeks may enhance recovery.
Light aerobic exercise can be performed daily (with the athlete not getting out of breath) for a few minutes each day with a gradual build up of minutes each week during the following weeks. Although each athlete will need to be considered individually, the total healing time can take between six and twelve weeks.
Athletes who participate in multiple sports have a lower risk of OTS than athletes who compete in one sport as long as they “participate in moderation, get sufficient rest between daily activities, and are able to recognize signs of overuse and fatigue” (American Academy of Family Physicians, December 1, 2007).
