Research Summaries Research Summary 22 Coping with Injury | Page 5
Helping Players Cope with the Stress of Injury
Assisting with the rehabilitation process
Noting that most athletes set themselves a long-term
goal of returning to play, the researchers suggest this can
be extremely stressful, particularly if rehabilitation takes
longer than first imagined, if improvements along the way
are small and infrequent, or if the athlete starts to worry
about whether their recovery will be worth it when they
eventually return.
Coaches can alleviate this stress by helping set
shorter-term goals that the injured player can work
towards. Shorter-term, even daily goals can give injured
players targets that will help them move closer to being
fit to play.
Coaches can closely monitor how the player fares and
adjust the challenge of short-term goals if they are too
easy or difficult. The coach can also help injured players
develop a more positive mindset towards rehabilitation
by acknowledging progress and explaining that ups and
downs are a normal part of the recovery process.
In cases of more serious injury, the researchers also
suggest coaches develop a buddy system whereby a fit
member of the team accompanies the injured player to
physiotherapy sessions. The responsibility to attend with
the injured player is rotated, ensuring the individual
continues to feel like an important member of the team
while all teammates feel like they have contributed to
their recovery.
Minimising anxiety about pain and re-injury
Pain can cause injured players stress, not only when they
experience it, but also if they worry about when it might
return. The researchers suggest something similar in
regard to re-injury. Even when reaching a healthy state,
players can become stressed at the thought of
re-injuring themselves.
To minimise this stress, they suggest a number of
strategies for coaches, incorporating both mental and
more tangible approaches.
Firstly, healing imagery is a strategy that can help injured
players gain more control over their rehabilitation. This
starts by advising players to imagine themselves
performing specific skills. As their recovery progresses,
the images can be more complex, incorporating tactics
alongside the skills. The injured player can then move on
to creating positive images of the injured site, such as
strengthened muscles or flexible joints.
The key for the coach is to ensure the player uses
imagery that aligns to where they are in the recovery
process, thereby reducing the likelihood of them
imagining their recovery progressing too quickly, and
increasing disappointment and stress when the reality
does not match.
Coaches can also help their injured players turn negative
self-talk into positive self-talk. For example, if they
overhear them say ‘I am going to get injured again,’ the
coach should advise them to rephrase this as ‘I’m going
to be even stronger now I’ve recovered.’ Self-talk can
help build injured players’ confidence and keep them
focused on recovery, rather than causing stress from the
thought of re-injuring themselves or experiencing pain.
If players need more tangible help, coaches may ask
teammates who have experienced similar injuries to talk
to them about their experiences. The aim is to inspire
them to get through the rehabilitation process. This
worked for the softball player in the original article as it
changed her attitude towards rehabilitation once she
knew a teammate had made a full recovery and avoided
re-injury.