Lovren 'taking five painkillers before every game'
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Lovren has been suffering from back and Achilles injuries
Written by Simon Austin — October 1, 2017
LIVERPOOL defender Dejan Lovren says he has been taking ‘five painkillers before every game’ - despite warnings about the overuse of medication from leading experts.
The 28-year-old missed the Premier League games against Manchester City and Burnley because of back and Achilles injuries. He took painkillers to face Leicester and Spartak Moscow and has been named in the side to face Newcastle at St James’ Park this afternoon.
“I have problems with my whole body for the last two weeks, my back and now I have hurt my achilles tendon,” the central defender told Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti.
“I am taking pills so I can play – five before every game. I play but I cannot train at all. That’s why I skipped matches against Manchester City and Burnley.”
Earlier this year Professor Jiri Dvorak, Fifa’s former chief medical officer, said: “From my experience over the last 20 years, the misuse, overuse and abuse of medication considers for me a bigger threat in the long term than doping.
“There is not medical justification for the regular and sometimes overuse for the medication. I think we can use the word abuse.
“I am primarily a clinician and for me the health of the athlete is the prime focus. Pain is the warning signal that something is not right. Covering up by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers does not make this situation better."
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