Mental Health in Sports Injury Recovery: Strategies for Overcoming Psychological Barriers

Sports injuries can be devastating to an athlete, both physically and mentally.  In the last part of the series, we discussed the emotional aspects of mental health when dealing with injury.   In the next part, we will discuss ways to attack and overcome these psychological roadblocks athletes experience during their healing process. 

·       Stay Connected

Injuries can make athletes feel alone, but staying connected to teammates, coaches, family and friends can provide emotional support and motivation during recovery.  Each athlete is different, but many athletes have built their entire identity as an “athlete” and can feel lost when they are unable to identify as one while injured.   For some individuals, attending practices/competitions and rooting for your teammates can help an athlete maintain these connections and provide that sense of identity as an athlete.  For others, being on the sidelines can be a painful reminder of their injury.  In these situations, meeting up with teammates and friends outside of the sporting environment can be helpful to maintain these connections. 

·       Set Realistic Goals

Focusing on small, achievable goals during rehab can help maintain motivation and track progress. Most athletes have an achieving and goal mindset, and keeping this motivation can help with mental health.  Celebrate each milestone in rehabilitation, no matter how small.  In addition, setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) can provide some motivation.

Example

Specific: Swim the 100 and 200 freestyle at the same pace I did pre-injury

Measurable: I will track my pace each time I practice

Attainable: I know I swam these races before.  I will heal and be able to do it again.

Relevant: I enjoy swimming and want to continue participating in this sport

Time-bound: I will let myself heal and will increase my pace week by week as directed by my doctor.

·       Practice Mindfulness and Visualization Techniques

Techniques such as meditation and deep breathing can help reduce stress and anxiety, keeping the mind in a positive state during recovery.  The power of positive visualization was noted in a study looking at athletes and free throws.  The study looked at three groups (practice free throws daily, visualized making free throws without practicing the free throws, no practice and no visualization).  The practice free throw and visualization groups improved by 24% and 23% respectively compared to the no practice which showed no improvement.  Many great athletes have used visualization techniques to improve their performance. 

·       Seek Professional Help

Talking to a medical professional, like a sports psychologist or therapist, can help athletes process emotions and develop coping strategies for their mental recovery.  Recent ACL studies indicate that speaking with a licensed therapist or counselor prior to surgery and in the early stages of postsurgical rehabilitation can have a positive effect on postoperative pain and recovery. 

·       Focus on What You Can Control

Athletes that focus on what they can control, like maintaining a healthy diet, working on their mental game, or doing workouts (ie upper body lifting while recovering from a lower extremity injury) can help improve the athlete’s resiliency and overall mental health.  Dwelling on what an individual is currently unable to do physically or ruminating on the injury itself leads to increased feeling of sadness, frustration and anger which can slow down the athlete’s recovery process. 

·       Rebuild Confidence Gradually

Taking small steps to return to play (i.e. light training before full competition) can help rebuild confidence and ease the fear of reinjury.  In addition, your physical therapist and/or athletic trainers can work with you on sport specific recovery exercises to help improve your confidence over time.  Even athletes like Tom Brady, who recovered from a torn ACL and other injuries over his career, won multiple super bowls following these injuries.  Stories like his are celebrated as models of determination and mental resilience.    Athletes making a full recovery from serious injury put numerous hours of both physical and mental work to get to where they are today.  Most of these efforts are put in “behind the scenes” and not in front of cameras or the media.  It can be easy to forget this fact when an athlete is facing their own recovery. 

Conclusion

Recovering from a sports injury involves both physical healing and mental challenges. By staying positive, setting goals, seeking support, remaining connected with others, and staying focused on what you can control, athletes can not only recover but also grow stronger mentally. Recognizing the importance of mental health while injured and employing techniques that can help overcome barriers to healing can make a tremendous difference in returning to sport with confidence.