INJURY
The word every athlete hates to hear…
If you’ve been in sport for long enough, you’ve experienced injury. For some of us, injury occurs with frustrating frequency, while for others, it’s a rare occurrence. Regardless of how many times or how seriously one is injured, it is always challenging and always comes with a host of physical and emotional reactions. Perhaps one of the most common emotional reactions to injury is a feeling of isolation. I am writing this blog to help you put injury in perspective and help you realize that if you are currently injured, you are not alone.
I generally believe that optimism is a good approach to most things in life. I try to help my athletes maintain a positive attitude when injured by focusing on what they can do to heal and return to sport. I do believe it helps to focus on the positives in a situation but I also think its important to acknowledge one’s true feelings and not hide disappointment. I encourage athletes to be realistic but hopeful about their situation. Fake optimism is of little value and sometimes makes one feel even more isolated for not being able to accept one’s true feelings at the moment.
Researchers have noted that athletes’ reaction to sports injury follows a similar pattern to the five stages of grieving; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, athletes may progress through these phases in no particular order and experience various emotional states simultaneously. For example, we can feel the grief for a season lost while also accepting that we must change our daily routine to accommodate recovery.
In my experience working with athletes in triathlon and mental coaching, I have seen the toll that injury takes on athletes both physically and mentally. While everyone’s experience of injury is unique, most athletes feel a deep sense of loss at having to temporarily (hopefully) give up their sport. I don’t believe this is a maladaptive reaction. As humans, we naturally seek belonging, mastery, and autonomy in our lives. A disruption in one’s training routine or racing calendar goes counter to our striving to improve, to belong to a group, and to feel independent. We feel temporarily cut off from the group we associate with and the routine under which we thrive.
As a coach, friend, teammate, or family member, there is a lot one can do to help an athlete navigate the pains of injury and the recovery process:
1) Do not “bench” an athlete with no alternative forms of exercise or self-improvement. Take 5 minutes to discuss a rehabilitation routine with athletic training staff and, as much as possible, encourage the athlete to train alongside their teammates while performing the modified routine.
2) Include the athlete in all team-building and social activities. The more you include an athlete in non-sport activities, the less isolated they will feel.
3) Encourage the athlete to share their thoughts and feelings about the injury experience with friends, teammates, etc. It goes without saying that connecting with others is protective from the emotional toll of injury.
4) It may be wise to seek help from a counselor, mental coach, or trusted health care provider. There is no shame whatsoever in seeking support from a professional if one is struggling to cope. Know that injury is almost always temporary and the pain shall pass but seeking professional support may help an athlete emerge with a little less emotional toll and some useful coping skills for future challenges.
As an athlete going through injury, there are some coping strategies that will help you move through this period a little more smoothly:
1) Accept that injury is part of sport. There is no place for blame or guilt; injury just “is”. It happens to amateurs and professionals alike and is part of the growing process in sport.
2) Find a physical therapist or athletic trainer who has some experience treating similar injuries and get ahead of the game as quickly as possible with treatments.
3) Begin a rehab routine as soon as you are cleared to do so. Treat your rehab routine just like your sport - make it a habit and progress it as advised by your provider. Commit fully to the routine and work it as much as is healthy for your injury.
4) Use the extra time you have gained by pulling back from your sport to focus on: improving your mental game, studying tactics/competition strategies, and goal-setting.
