The psychological component of injury prevention and rehabilitation
(4 discussions)
Hi, I am currently researching this topic as part of my degree course and was wondering if anyone would like to:
1. comment on the issue
2. send me any good links for information and research
3. Any coaches who would like to take part in my survey based research PLEASE CONTACT ME!!!
It’s an area which tends to get overlooked by many non-elite athletes but I feel it had great importance in sport.
Let the posting begin ……..
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I am currently researching the psychology of injuries from both a prevention and rehabilitation perspective. If anyone knows of any sights or if any coaches want to help me with my research then please contact me.
4 comments
sarah_g91
Very interesting topic!!!!! I really do think that your psychological state does make a difference to prevention and rehabilitation of injuries.
I have seen many times (including in myself) someone go for many years without an injury, but as soon as they recieve their first, from then on it’s a long line of them!
I am a martial artist, and I think that one reason is that if you are totaly relaxed you are much less likley to be injured, but as soon as you have an injury two things happen. 1. You adjust to protect the pain in the injury meaning you are putting other areas of your body in greater danger, and 2. The memory of being injured gives you a fear (even if subconcious) of injury, which even though before you knew you could be injured, once it’s happened you know it can happen again. This will make you less relaxed and more prown to injury.
I also think that healing will be quicker if your body can concentrate fully on doing so. When I have been injured, I usually get very depressed, worrying about whether I will get back to fitness and also about not being able to train. Depression must put a strain on your body, that will mean less energy for it to fight the injury.
You also need food to heal, and I find it hard to eat when I’m depressed. I sometimes have to force myself as I know it will not help healing if I don’t give my body the nutrients it requires.
This is only my oppinion, so I don’t know if it’s of any use to you.
I would be very interested to know of any results you have that might help with injuries.
I have done over 17 years of judo, and so have had many injuries. I took up Ju jitsu again having given it up twice (once due to injury!) 2 and half years ago, and in that time I have had 4 major injuries. So most of that time has been spent resting. In the last 6 months I have managed 1 month of training. Everytime I go back something else happens. Like I said before I am sure it’s due to the psychological effects of the other injuries that is putting me more at risk of hurting other parts of my body.
But despite this Martial Arts is my life and I will not give up!!!!
I also used to just keep going even if making an injury worse! Where as now after making so many injuries last for so long, I have become paraniod of doing anything that might jepeardise my future in Martial Arts. I now want to stop as soon as I feel any pain that seems to be made worse by training. Maybe it’s this new paranoya that is also helping me recieve new injuries??
If you would like more info on my injuries for your project please feel free to e mail me.
If this is a load of rubbish, then ignore it!!!! Ha, ha.!!!!!!
Sarah.
PVPrincess
The timing of my injury was the first meet of the outdoor season of my sophomore year in HS. I had really good practices up until that point. I was all set for the season. On my first jump i happened to miss the plant box, and hyperextended my knee which cracked the bone somehow. I thought i was fine until i tried to stand up. I spent the rest of the day in the training room with one of my teammates. It had already swollen to twice the size it should have been. The trainer said because i had kept asking to go finish the meet it must not have been causing me any pain. he thought it may have been sprained. by the time my dad got there to pick me up, i must have had it in my head that it was sprained and would be back by the end of the next week. The ER doctors also thought it was strange that i had no pain. I tried to convince them i was fine and was going to finish my season. I went to a specialist a few days later who said it was definilty broken. That day i felt pain, but somehow managed to convince myself again that it really wasnt broken and was fine. one of the things he had me do to determine whether it was broken was sit in a pike and lift my leg straight up. I couldnt do it. But by the time i went back the next day for the cast, i practiced and was able to do it easily, but he still said it was broken.
I was really depressed for the next few weeks, although i wasnt in pain. I didnt want to talk to any teammates or anyone really. i was only in the cast for 2 weeks before i was put in a soft cast so i could go to PT. When there she said the stuff would probably hurt the area, and walking would hurt too, but it didnt. The only thing that bothered me was my hamstring, which im assuming i pulled the same day. That to me was ok to hurt cause you can train through a pulled hamstring. I was sure i would make it back for the end of the season, but i didnt. I think the thought of making it back for the end of the season was enough to not let pain get in the way. I figured if it didnt hurt then i was fine, and would be allowed to compete. Unfortunatly the doctor didnt agree with that theory…
I hope this is what you are looking for. If you want to know anything else, my eamil is
kerrie atkin
Thanks for your input. Your experience seems really interesting. What I would be interested in is how you managed to convince yourself- the techniques you used e.g. progressive relaxation, thought altering and concepts such as that. Also I would be interested to know if you had some sort of support team behind you. Was you coach still supportive? Were parents/partners/friends encouraging? What sort of emotions you went through?
Again, thanks for responding and spread the word to coaches and athletes alike!!
PVPrincess
I don’t know if this makes sense for what you are researching, but i broke my leg a few years ago pole vaulting. I convinced myself that i was fine, and felt no pain at all, even though my leg was swollen twice the size. The doctor said he had never seen someone so determined to return to a sport before, and never seen someone in such little pain. He said there was reason to have a lot of pain, but i never felt any.
again, im not sure if thats something you are looking for, but i hope it helps.