When a swimmer is injured and a doctor provides a round or so of steroids (cortisone, etc.), injections to provide pain relief and reduce inflammation, is this considered doping within the USMS? This question came up in an email a day or so ago from a top competitor who has been told it is considered doping. I'll fess up first, I am on a round of three injections prior to considering a shoulder surgery, with surgery being my last and desperate resort. Or is a small round of steriods for medical purposes only so slight that steroids would not show up in routine blood tests.
Is this legal within USMS guidelines?
Donna
I assume FINA has talked about testing for Masters athletes; I know the topic has come up within USMS. And as previously stated, USMS does not currently test athletes. And as far as I know there are no plans to start any time soon.
Masters Swimming is about a healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise (hopefully swimming is a big part of this), nutrition and paying attention to medical/health concerns. In my opinion, no Masters Swimmer should ever ignore proper medical treatment for fear of sanction form USMS. I agree with Ken “it would defeat USMS's mission to discourage these athletes…from following their MD's instructions.”
So, if they did test masters athletes, a note from the doctor explaining the shots and when they were done would be necessary. It would take more than a note from your doctor; you would need to get a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) from the USADA.
For more information on anit-doping check out:
www.wada-ama.org
www.fina.org/antidoping/index.php
For the current prohibited list (interesting reading):
www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/2007_List_En.pdf
I assume FINA has talked about testing for Masters athletes; I know the topic has come up within USMS. And as previously stated, USMS does not currently test athletes. And as far as I know there are no plans to start any time soon.
Masters Swimming is about a healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise (hopefully swimming is a big part of this), nutrition and paying attention to medical/health concerns. In my opinion, no Masters Swimmer should ever ignore proper medical treatment for fear of sanction form USMS. I agree with Ken “it would defeat USMS's mission to discourage these athletes…from following their MD's instructions.”
So, if they did test masters athletes, a note from the doctor explaining the shots and when they were done would be necessary. It would take more than a note from your doctor; you would need to get a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) from the USADA.
For more information on anit-doping check out:
www.wada-ama.org
www.fina.org/antidoping/index.php
For the current prohibited list (interesting reading):
www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/2007_List_En.pdf
