Title quote by Conor McGregor (UFC Fighter).

Injuries: we all get them. I can’t think of one athlete who hasn’t suffered with an injury at some point in their career. Injuries can be minor, and can be recovered from in a few weeks, but some injuries can be major and career ending. This blog post aims to cover the psychological effects of injury, the responses to injury, and the three phases of injury recovery.

SO… What is an injury?

 An injury is a trauma to the body, that results in at least temporary (but sometimes permanent) physical disability and inhibition of motor functions.

Injuries are influences by multiple factors:

• Physical Factors (e.g., muscle imbalances, overtraining, and physical fatigue).
• Social Factors (e.g., enduring pain/injury to achieve goals).
• Psychological Factors (e.g., pressure, anxiety, and burnout).
• Personality Factors (e.g., self-esteem and trait anxiety).

How does psychology contribute to injury occurrence?

One of the main ways in which psychology contributes to injury occurrence is via stress. Increases in stress are associated with increased distractibility, a narrowed attentional field, and increased muscle tension, all of which make it more likely an injury will occur. For example, a rugby player under high levels of stress might be more prone to injury as they don’t see a charging defender rushing in from the side. When they have lower levels of stress, the peripheral attentional field will be wider, seeing the defender and avoid contact with them. Alongside this, psychosocial factors, such as personality characteristics which intensify the stress response (e.g., higher trait anxiety), stressful life events outside of sport, a history of stressors, and few coping resources make it more likely stress will occur, therefore increasing the likelihood of injury occurring.

Three immediate psychological responses following injury:

1. Processing the Injury

In this period, you may find yourself asking how the injury happened (e.g., ‘did I push too hard in a sprint to get the ball?’), being aware of the extent of injury (e.g., how long you are out of your sport for) and recognising the negative consequences of the injury (e.g., missing an important game).

2. Emotional and Reactive Behaviour

This is where your emotions kick in – you might feel agitated, disconnected and shocked. These are all normal! You might feel you have a lack of interest in enjoyable activities, such as your sport in this period also.

3. Positive Outlook and Coping

Finally, you may come to accept the injury, and put full focus and a better attitude towards recovery. You may feel optimistic about recovering, and relieved to be making some progress.

This process is not linear – you may exhibit elements of all three categories at different times, however, the initial period after injury is characterised by the greatest level of negative emotions.

The 3 Phases of Injury Recovery

Once injured, there are three phases of injury recovery. It is important to remember that you must overcome some barriers full recovery and returning to your sport. In each phase, you will have a different source of stress. You will also have different focuses, based on the phase of recovery. For example, in the rehabilitation phase, the focus will be to set achievable goals. The three phases of injury recovery are summarised in the table below:

1. Injury/Illness Phase
2. Rehabilitation and Recovery Phase
3. Return to Full Activity

Is injury always negative?

The simple answer is no: there are positive reactions to recovery. For example, during injury you can work on improving your psychological development, by enhancing resilience as you progress through recovery. You can also work on your technical performance, as returning from injury allows for the revision and correction of poor technique which may have contributed to the injury. In addition, you can implement psychological techniques such as imagery within recovery to allow for the maintenance of technique. Furthermore, being injured also can lead to more time understanding the physiology of your sport. Surrounding yourself with your teammates, as mentioned above, can help to improve social networks within recovery.

In summary…

While injuries can be annoying, they are just a part of your journey as an athlete. Although there are negative responses, such as reactive behaviour, time spent injured can help improve other aspects of playing sport e.g., psychology and technical development. Focus on moving through the recovery gradually, setting realistic goals and remaining positive. You’ll be back to playing sport in no time!

N.B. All recommendations provided are taken from existing empirical research.

If you are interested in learning more about dealing with injury and injury rehabilitation, we recommend the following papers:

• Santi, G., & Pietrantoni, L. (2013). Psychology of sport injury rehabilitation: a review of models and interventions. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 8(4), 1029-1044.
• Arvinen-Barrow., & Walker. (2013). The Psychology of Sport Injury and Rehabilitation. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Or, this podcast episode ‘Overcoming the Psychological Challenges of Injury’ by The Sports Psych Show (Episode 192 – Dr Keagen Hadley).

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