5 Tips for Athletes Dealing with Injuries
Injuries are an unfortunate reality that most athletes will face at some point. From muscle pulls and strains to ligament tears, bone breaks and concussions, any injury may impact an athlete's season or career in unexpected ways. Although most athletes focus on the ways an injury impacts them physically, there are likely emotional and mental bruises that also require attention. In fact, its normal for athletes to experience psychological symptoms when their season or career has been disrupted due to injury.
Many athletes feel isolated during their injury recovery process. Being separated from teammates or training to do rehabilitative exercises is necessary but also be frustrating. Athletes may feel disappointed by their bodies and experience negative emotions towards themselves. In some situations, athletes may become fearful of their return to sport, doubting their abilities and physical readiness. Others might become angry about the injury and lash out at others. Those with repeated injuries may feel hopeless and worry that they will never compete healthily again. All of these emotions, and so many more, are normal when faced with injury.
Grief: A Normal Reaction to Injury
When faced with an injury that has ended a season prematurely or, worse, an athletic career, many athletes deal with intense emotional turmoil. Injuries lead to a sudden shift in athletes’ worlds, causing an axis tilt that causes disarray, impacting both plans and routines. It is important for athletes to create space to process their feelings during such a monumental shift. For many athletes, this experience parallels the grief journey.
The grief process includes the following experiences:
Denial: Athletes may be in denial that the injury ended their season or career. They might seek multiple medical opinions or try to continue training and competing. In order to stay in sport, athletes may minimize the pain they feel or deny how serious the injury is.
Anger: Athletes might become angry with themselves, their body, their coaches, their support staff, their competitors, or their family and friends. Some athletes may develop anger towards the sport itself for causing the injury and feel resentment towards those who are still able to play.
Bargaining: Athletes may try to bargain with medical staff, coaches, or family members to be able to continue training while rehabbing an injury. They may believe that engaging in extra rehab will help them return to sport sooner. Bargaining might minimize the recovery process by using simple logic to achieve their desired outcome. For example, “If I do all my rehab and go to bed earlier every night than I will get to play in the championship game in two weeks (despite having just torn my ACL).”
Depression: Some athletes might experience symptoms of depression while being displaced from their sport. A massive part of their identity and life which fosters joy and purpose was greatly altered. Athletes might struggle to meet these needs in a different way throughout the recovery journey.
Acceptance: You will likely notice a shift in the athlete when they reach the stage of acceptance. There may be more talk about what is coming after the injury, an evolution of how they view their return to sport, or more willingness to participate in life and rehab. Athletes may be more open to conversations about moving past the injury instead of being stuck in the heaviness of grief. They can recognize that the injury is not what they would have chosen but understand that they cannot go back to change it. They learn to move forward with the injury as a part of their life but no longer allow the injury to control their emotions.
Clarity: The final stage that we hope all athletes reach is clarity. Much like acceptance, clarity does not mean that the athlete is happy about the injury. Rather, they make sense of the injury in a way that brings new meaning to life and sport. Athletes come to understand that the injury is a part of their story versus the narrator of their life.
5 tips for Coping with an Injury
Whether athletes experience the grief cycle or not, it is important that all athletes consider how injuries impact them individually. Following are a five ideas to help athletes cope with the disruption that injuries cause to life and sport.
Connect honestly with someone you trust. If you are struggling to see a way through an injury, find someone who you trust to guide that path. This might be an athletic trainer or physical therapist who can help explain many of the intricate facets of your injury and in addition to guide you through the challenges that arise. Alternatively, this could be a family member, therapist, or coach.
Be kind to yourself and your body. Injuries tend to arise out of a physically traumatic event but can also be the result of overuse or under-recovery. While the body's natural response is to initiate healing and repair the damage, your body also intuitively knows when your mind is working against it. You cannot hate yourself or your body into healing faster. Try to recognize the power in your body healing itself and appreciate the hard work it is doing right alongside your rehab efforts. Honor your body and protect your resilience with gratitude and self-compassion. Both are proven to support overall well-being.
Celebrate the victories no matter how small. I will never forget when my physical therapist helped me celebrate the first time I was able to get a full rotation of the pedal on a stationary bike following my knee surgery. We laughed and cried together and celebrated what seemed like the smallest victory. But, that moment symbolized all of the work I had done to reach the milestone. Small victories lead to big victories, and every step to recovery matters. Not to mention, celebrating small wins will strengthen both your confidence and resilience.
It is okay to not be okay while dealing with an injury. If you are having thoughts or emotions that feel big or dark or scary or embarrassing, ask to speak with a mental health professional. Your emotions and thoughts will never be too much for them to help. In fact, one of our #1 jobs is to drop any and all of our judgements and biases at the door. We are prepared and willing to hold all of the thoughts and feelings while you sort through them.
Find a hobby that brings you joy (besides your sport). Sometimes, it can be hard to know what you enjoy outside of your sport. However, now is the time to explore any and all of those activities that you are curious about but never have time to try. New or neglected hobbies are a wonderful way to channel your extra time and energy. During my rehab I took crocheting and baking. My physical therapist loved getting all of my extra baked goods and I still make handmade gifts for loved ones that mean a little extra. Not into crocheting or baking? No big deal, there are so many things you can explore from reading to chess, hanging out with friends to spending a day in nature or going on a non-sport related vacation, I am certain you have other interests that you simply have not had time to invest in because you have been too busy with your sport.
Signs of Mental Health Concerns
While grief is a common psychological reaction to injuries and there is an expectation that athletes will need to cope with a life disruption, some athletes experience even more serious mental health concerns. The following symptoms are cause for concern and warrant a mental health evaluation:
Panic attacks
Decreased enjoyment in activities or seeming less interested in activities they normally enjoy
Noticeable weight loss or gain
Unusual or frequent anger outbursts
Staying up later or sleeping in more
Difficulty falling asleep or sleeping through the night
Eating more or less than usual
Changes in food preferences or rigidly following new diets
New or more serious intentions about managing weight, body size, or fitness
Intense fear when thinking about returning to the sport
Increased negative self-talk
Acting apathetic or pessimistic
Withdrawing from social circles
Any other persistent behavioral changes that are abnormal for the athlete
All of these could be signs that someone needs additional mental health support and should be evaluated by a mental health professional. In the same way that they have spent time and energy healing their injuries, athletes’ minds also require care and attention. When athletes return from injury with a newly developed mental illness and no additional mental health support, they are at a higher risk of suffering subsequent injuries and exacerbated psychological symptoms of their mental illness.
Every injury comes with its own set of difficulties and is experienced uniquely. Athletes tend to be strong and resilient people, but when a significant aspect of their identity is suddenly compromised, it is normal to struggle. If the struggle becomes too much to manage individually, remember that there are people, personally or professionally, who are able and willing to help.
If you are currently dealing with an injury and in need of more support, please contact the Athlete Insight team today to schedule a complimentary discovery call.