Helping athletes cope with injury
The role of the coach
Unfortunately, injuries are a part of sports. If you are coaching a team right now, chances are you have an athlete experiencing an injury of some kind. We also know that injuries can impact athletes in significant ways both physically and emotionally, so…
In this week’s 3 points, I’ll discuss some common responses to injury, key factors to successful rehabilitation, and how coaches can support their athletes as people during the rehab process.
1. It’s important to understand that athletes will respond to injuries in different ways and there is no predictable, right, or wrong way for them to respond. So while I will share some research on common responses that coaches should be aware of. It is also worth noting that responses to injury are not just immediately following the injury but throughout the rehab process and even as they return to play.
Athletes who have experienced a significant injury could potentially be experiencing a real loss. Many athletes’ identities rest largely on their athletic participation and success and so being sidelined can feel like a real loss. Additionally, can be a great deal of fear and uncertainty; Will I ever get the level I was at? What if I re-injure myself? Will I lose my spot on the team?
According to Margot Putukian, director of athletic medicine and head team physician at Princeton University, this can lead to emotional responses such as:
Sadness
Isolation
Irritation
Lack of motivation
Anger
Frustration
Changes in appetite
Sleep disturbance
Disengagement
Further, Putukian explains, for some student-athletes, the psychological response to injury can trigger or unmask serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and substance use or abuse.
2. Key factors to a positive rehabilitation experience
A systematic review evaluated 983 athletes and 15 psychological factors and identified three psychological elements: competence, autonomy, and connection as the factors most important in positive rehabilitation and return to pre-injury level of play.
For those newer to this newsletter, autonomy, competence, and relatedness stem from Self-Determination Theory (which I wrote about here). Self-determination theory suggests there are three universal psychological needs (competence, autonomy, and connection) and that these needs must be continually satisfied for people to maintain optimal performance and well-being.
Competence – The need to feel like we are doing a good job and providing value.
Autonomy – The need to feel like we have control over what we are doing.
Connection – The need to experience meaningful interactions and relationships; a sense of belonging.
These needs are vital to a positive rehabilitation and successful return to pre-injury level of play as well.
3. What can coaches do to help? Here are four suggestions from Clinical Sport Psychologist and Harvard Research Fellow, Dr. Jim Dooley:
Involve athletes in the rehab process:
Coaches and trainers would do well to include the athlete in the decision-making around their rehab process. Doing so supports their autonomy and therefore motivation. Otherwise, rehab can feel like a never-ending process of being told what you can and can not do.
Set process goals:
Goal setting can help support the athlete’s competence. Creating small and stackable wins early in rehab can help the athlete feel a sense of accomplishment and spur motivation. Increase the challenge of these goals as the athlete progresses.
Involve the athlete:
How can you involve athletes who are injured to show them that they still matter? Ask for their feedback on this as well. Don’t assume that because injured athletes are at practice and travel with the team they are receiving the support they need.
Train mental skills:
Research has shown relaxation/guided imagery, positive self-talk, goal setting, and journaling were found to be effective in promoting recovery by elevating mood, reducing anxiety, improving joint function, or improving effort and rehabilitation exercise completion after injury.
Additionally, Dr. Jim Dooley states, “these skills are not only helpful after a sports injury; they are foundational mental tools for improving sport performance.”