Sports Injury Psychology David Smith MS ATC Sports Medicine 1
Transcript
Slide 1
David Smith MS ATC Sports Medicine 1
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Injury When the body is injured the mind is also affected
Research shows that athletes who experience negative response to
injury have a longer and more difficult recovery The nature of
interaction with the coach, teammates, friends and ATC affect
recovery either +/- We must pay attention to the athletes MIND as
well as their body to help them return to play
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How to Treat an Injured Athlete Psychologically the athlete
will be devastated after major injury Keep athlete as involved as
possible during rehab Must be positive in your approach at all
times Set Goals (Daily, Weekly, Monthly..)
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How to Treat an Injured Athlete Never Lie to the athlete Let
them know they are making progress Never let them feel sorry for
themselves Know who you are dealing with
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Psychological Reaction to Loss or Injury Denial Anger
Bargaining Depression Acceptance
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Emotional First Aid Normal Reaction Be calm and reassuring Over
Reaction Allow athlete to vent Under Reaction Be empathetic
Encourage them to talk and express feelings
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Psychological Response based on Length of Rehab Short (
Long (> 4 Weeks) Reaction to Injury is Fear and Anger
Reaction to Rehab is Loss of Interest, Irrational Thoughts and
Alienation Reaction to Return is acknowledgement
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Chronic (Recurring) Reaction to Injury is Anger and Frustration
Reaction to Rehab is either a Dependence or Independence Reaction
to Return is Confident or Skeptical
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Termination (Career Ending) Reaction to Injury is Isolation and
a Grief Process Reaction to Rehab is Loss of Athletic Identity
Reaction to Not Returning is Closure and Renewal Example of Mark at
UNM with ACL Injury
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Considerations for the Coach A coaches perception of the
athlete makes a difference in that athletes recovery time and
effort to come back The coach needs to listen to the athlete beyond
the complaining Should listen for anger, depression or anxiety in
their voice and actions
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Considerations for the Coach Neglected athletes or treating
them like outcasts can contribute to an injury or re-injury.
Coaches who treat their players like they have no self worth when
injured are not received well Some coaches refuse to talk to the
athlete or tell his teammates that he is soft or that he/she doesnt
want to play or isnt tough enough
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Return to Play Coaches need to help the athlete when returning
to play after injury not hinder them It is the toughest part of the
rehab process and the athlete will need encouragement
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Return to Play you have to play with pain? Give it up for the
sport or my team? Im Invincible? Lack of this attitude may make
them viewed as not being a team player or they are weak
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Things a Coach can do to help the Athletes Establish a rapport
with the athlete Earn the athletes trust Establish good
communication Have an interest in the athlete prior to injuries Be
a good listener
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Things a Coach can do to help the Athletes Look the athletes in
the eye to show listening Dont neglect or ignore the athletes
Facilitate social support of the team Include the athlete in their
feelings of return to play
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Predictors Of Injury 1) Injury Prone Athlete Those who take
risks Traits tend to be reserved Detached or tender minded
Apprehensive Over Protective Easily distracted players
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Predictors of Injury cont. 2) Stress May be Positive or
Negative Positive are making all state team Negative tend to lead
to risk of injury Negative examples are failing drug tests, not
starting, costing the team the game
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Predictors of Injury cont. These lead to lack of focus and
increased muscle tension therefore leading to injury Lack of Focus
may lead to miscues Increased Tension leads to pulls, tears or
major injuries
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Observing Stress in Athletes The coach is often the 1 st to
realize the athlete is becoming burned out, MUST back off!! ATC
must realize if the athlete enters the game or practice angry,
frustrated or discouraged, can make them more prone to injury
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What Causes Stress? Training too hard w/o rest (Overtraining)
Coach who is like a drill sergeant Lack of positive reinforcement
and encouragement Negative statements Unreasonable expectations by
self, coach, parents, teammates
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Interventions for Stress Reduction Unfortunately many coaches
dont have an interest in or ability to work with athletes who need
help Coaches of smaller teams may notice if one of the athletes is
having problems.
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Interventions cont. If they notice something wrong refer them
to someone that can get them help. Need to do this quietly so it is
not made a team issue that may embarrass the athlete
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Using Buffers Buffers are techniques that alleviate symptoms
but do not address the problems. Many athletes feel that the sport
they play is the ONLY POSITIVE thing in their life!!
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Buffers cont. This activity gets them through the tough times
of extreme stress Some buffers that may help are Relaxation
techniques, imagery, exercise, reduction of caffeine, treatment for
sleep disorders and time management programs.
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Relaxation Techniques These allow athletes to control stress
with a series of deep breathing, voluntary muscle contractions and
relaxation exercises Athletes that are coping well on own should
not be forced into these exercises We will do these relaxation
techniques as a class
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Imagery Imagery is the use of all senses to create or recreate
an experience in the mind. Visual rehearsal, emotive imagery
rehearsal and body rehearsal Athletes visualize their success in
competition beginning with basic skills to game situations Body
rehearsal helps the athlete in their healing process Not all
athletes respond to this technique
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Create your own Imagery We will now have you create your own
imagery I will give you some examples Now write your own imagery
and hand in Write your name and period on it