[This is a guest blog by Jonte Brown. Jonte is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC with a degree in Sport Management and is currently serving as an Athletic Development Intern at Athletic Lab.]

psychology1Being an athlete requires commitment, determination, and most importantly, passion. Sports can dictate an athlete’s life and is a part of their personal identity. When you’re an athlete, no matter the level of sport, no player wants to be out of competition for any reason, especially if it’s injury related. When injured, an athlete is out for a period of time and can’t play. An injury is any harm or damage, an act or event that causes someone or something to no longer be fully healthy or in good condition. Injuries can be caused by a number of different factors: overtraining, impact and contact, overuse, poor preparation, poor technique, or improper equipment. As for competition, injuries are most commonly caused by poor training methods, structural abnormalities, weakness in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and unsafe environments. In the words of a coach Herm Edwards, a former professional NFL player and coach, says “There’s a difference between being hurt and being injured.” For contact sports such as football or basketball, toward the end of the season, into playoffs, all players are hurting due to the grind of a season and the physical nature, but they are still able to play.

Although injuries from sports are physiological, many would overlook the relationship between the injury and the psychological issues related to injuries. Athletes may experience a variety of emotional responses and stress upon being injured depending on the severity, it’s important that trainers, coaches, and teammates provide a solid social support system. All athletes don’t deal with injury in the same manner. Some feelings associated with injury include anger, confusion, question of returning to play, denial, and guilt of letting others down.

For elite athletes such as college and professionals, a injury can have a negative effect on things off the field or court. It could affect a player’s draft stock, player contacts, endorsement deals, or even being the difference between making a team or being cut, released, or waived which could more pressure on them. For this not to happen, athletes tend to think that training longer or harder with no time to let the body recover is good for them. The clich of “no days off” or “grind until you can’t go anymore” is often used by athletes when training, but it is not realistic when trying to have the best outcome or performance possible.

wayne-rooney-injuredRecovering from an injury requires a strong mentality. If the athlete remains in low spirits and feels there is no chance of a return, he or she may not rehab properly. It’s important for trainers and coaches to have good communication with all injured players so they can help get them back to competition when ready. Furthermore, it’s beneficial to educate the athlete about the injury and identify misinformation about the injury. The injured player should be treated as a whole and not just the injury. No two athletes will have the same recovery experience, so a trainer should design a training environment to stress high-quality rehabilitation while exhibiting realistic expectations and patience.

A vast majority of athletes are ready to return to full practice or competition as soon as they are medically cleared by team physicians and medical staff. That is, once cleared physically, but still might not be fully ready yet mentally. Everyone associated with the team plays a key role in helping athletes maintain their confidence, and can encourage the use of mental strategies to “keep their head in the game” even though their body is not.They must first deal with the face that they’ve been injured. Secondly, they must set new and realistic goals, maintain a positive attitude, make sure they are taking part in the healing process, and continue to practice or workout. If the injury is temporary, the athlete must allow enough time to heal properly. Being anxious to get back to competition may set an athlete up for another, more serious injury which may cost them even more time away from competition, which no player wants.

References

  • Goldberg, A. (1998). Sport Slump Busting: 10 Steps To Mental Toughness and Peak Performance. Human Kinetics.
  • Kolt, G.S. (200). Doing Sport Psychology with Injured Athletes. In Anderson, M. (ED), Doing Sport Psychology (pp. 203-236). Human Kinetics.
  • Kerr G, Minden H. Psychological Factors Related to the Occurrence of Athletic Injuries. J Sport Excer Psychol. 1998 pp. 160-173.