TY - JOUR T1 - No pain no gain? A conversation on Olympians’ long-term health JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine JO - Br J Sports Med SP - 2 LP - 3 DO - 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102127 VL - 55 IS - 1 AU - Mike Miller AU - Debbie Palmer AU - Jackie L Whittaker AU - Rebecca Pike AU - Patrick Schamasch AU - Malav Shroff AU - Joël Bouzou Y1 - 2021/01/01 UR - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/1/2.abstract N2 - Willie Banks OLY is smiling, he usually is. Olympian, former world record holder and world champion. Inventor of the now ubiquitous track and field competitor overhead hand clap. Successful businessman and international sports leader. Life has been good thanks to elite-level sport. There’s just one snag, Willie has osteoarthritis in his knees and hips. He is in constant pain and attributes his osteoarthritis to past sporting injuries. Willie is not alone. Olympians and former elite athletes often link their past sporting injuries to their current musculoskeletal pain.There are many benefits to a life devoted to elite sport, with numerous studies reporting the positive effects of sport including a lower risk of morbidity, better self-reported health in later life and higher quality of life.1–4 Despite this, major injuries including anterior cruciate ligament tears and substantial meniscal tears can contribute to radiographic and symptomatic osteoarthritis,5–8 and the risk of osteoarthritis in elite athletes may be higher than that in the general population.4 This reality raises questions. Is enough being done to educate and support athletes and their entourages so they can minimise the long-term … ER -