SPORT INJURY PSYCHOLOGY
The Sports Massage Studio
Physiological and Psychological Effects of Sport Injury.

Turn a Setback into a Comeback 

Sport Injury is a relatively common occurrence among sport and exercise participants. 
The benefits of sports and exercise far outweigh the risks, but injuries do happen. 
A sport injury is not an exclusively physical experience – it also has a psychological component. 
Psychological factors can influence both injury risk and injury outcomes. 

The psychological aspects of sport injury can broadly be split into two categories:
  •  Psychological factors that may increase an athlete’s risk of developing an injury
  •  Psychological reactions to sport injury.

Psychological factors that may increase an athlete’s risk of developing an injury
Sport injuries can be caused by variety of factors. These factors can be grouped into four potential areas: 
  • Physical: Fatigue, Overuse, muscle imbalance, insufficient condition, poor technique 
  • Environmental: unsafe equipment, obstacles, slippery surfaces, collision 
  • Socio-cultural: no pain no gain, macho, peer pressure, poor coaching
  • Psychological: stress, personality, impatience, negative response to situations, perception, poor analysis to a situation, poor coping skills, inexperience
The two main psychological factors identified as potential causes of sport injury are stress and personality.

The affects of stress can increase the risk of injury due to physiological reasons such as - immunosuppression, disrupted tissue repair, sleep disturbance, altered self-care, muscle tension, distraction, attention narrowing. 

Personality traits associated with increased risk of injury can be classified as - anxiety, locus of control and mental/emotional states, positive personality traits – traits that allow the individual to perceive a situation as challenging rather than threatening, thus resulting in a lower stress response and lower risk of injury.
  • negative personality traits – traits that lead an individual to perceive a situation as threatening, thus resulting in a higher stress response and higher risk of injury.

Psychological interventions that may help prevent or reduce the risk of sport injury
Coping resources can be defined as behaviours and social networks that may help individuals deal with issues that expose an athlete’s or exercise enthusiast’s risk to injury.

Stress management strategies can be useful for changing the perception of an event, or by buffering the effects of a stressful event.

Strategies such as:
  • Imagery
  • Goal setting
  • Relaxation techniques 
  • Social support
  • Positive self talk 
  • Cognitive restructuring 
  • Biofeedback training 
  • Stress inoculation training
Taking into account that all people are individuals and each person may encounter or be predisposed to different stresses, what appears to work for one person may not necessarily work for another person


Psychological reactions to sport injury.
Common negative psychological responses to injury include:
  • Loss of identity, anger, fear, depression, reduced motivation, grief, loneliness, stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and confusion
Sport related injuries can influence both emotional and behavioural responses, which ultimately impact (positively or negatively) physical and psychological recovery outcomes.

Personality traits may influence adherence to a rehabilitation strategy and programme. Over optimism, impatience, denial can alter a persons perception towards the severity of an injury.

Psychological reactions to injury can change over time and may present fluctuating emotions. Although generally unwanted experience, sport injury can lead to positive consequences such as personal, psychological, social or physical growth.

A positive (growth) experience can derive from a sports related injury. This can be termed ‘sport injury-related growth’ and can be defined as perceived changes that propel injured athletes to a higher level of functioning than that which existed before their injury.

Four categories of sport injury-related growth can be described as:
  • Personal growth – development of beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, priorities, outlook and general qualities
  • Psychological growth – development of sporting qualities and coping skills
  • Social growth – development of social support
  • Physical growth – development in strength and conditioning.

Psychological interventions that may help sport injury rehabilitation and recovery 
Sport injury can lead to several psychological responses that can have a negative impact on rehabilitation. So it seems logical that psychological interventions aimed at helping individuals to cope more effectively with injury will have a positive impact.

Using psychological intervention techniques for sport injury can lead to several benefits, such as:
  • Increased adherence to rehabilitation programmes
  • More positive attitude towards recovery
  • Increased motivation
  • Pain management
  • Enhanced coping skills
  • Reduced stress, anxiety and depression, and
  • Enhanced healing.

As sport injury rehabilitation can be negatively influenced by psychological factors, consequently, putting in place interventions to help individuals cope with the challenge of sport injury, may enhance the rehabilitation process. 

Commonly used psychological intervention techniques:
  • Goal setting - is an effective tool in sport injury rehabilitation. Short-term and long-term goals should encompass outcome, performance and process goals.
  • Social support - emotional, technical, informational, tangible and motivational support can be provided by a wide range of people around an injured athlete. 
  • Mental Imagery - can be defined as the process of ‘using one’s senses to re-create or create a positive experience in the mind’. These can include skills practice imagery, relaxation imagery, pain management imagery or healing imagery.
  • Self-talk - instructional self-talk is effective in enhancing or directing attention, motivational self-talk is effective in increasing confidence and motivation and regulating effort. 
  • Relaxation - techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, relaxation imagery, controlled breathing and music can be used to help injured athletes and exercise participants to combat the stress and anxiety that can be a consequence of injury.
Psychological interventions can help athletes and exercise participants cope with the challenges of sport injury. There are many coping techniques and strategies for sport injury rehabilitation. 

Code of Conduct
It is important to remember that such interventions should normally only be prescribed by a registered sport and exercise psychologist.
That is not to say that understanding these interventions may not be useful or of value. Additionally, some of the techniques are frequently used at a basic level by coaches, sports physical therapists and exercise professionals.

It is important to appreciate the professional boundaries of a sport professional. Ethical and organisational frameworks should be upheld to help support multi-disciplinary teams practise their specialisation without compromise.

Always seek specialist advice from a qualified Sports Psychologist.
This article is not meant to replace a qualified professional. 

Specialists in Soft Tissue Therapy & Performance in Sport

HELPING YOU DEVELOP YOUR SPORTING GOALS

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