Are you experiencing anxiety, depression, anger and frustration after a sports injury? In this post, you’ll learn proven tips on how to recover mentally after a sports injury and ensure your rehabilitation is successful.
This summer I decided to get in a few games of 5-A-Side football. I haven’t played competitively in years but inspired by the recent form of Haaland, Mitoma, and Messi I wanted to strap on the boots once more.
Just to see if I’ve still got it!
The games were a lot of fun and it felt great to play again. I even managed to score a few goals.
In spite of the steady pace, someone managed to get hurt every week. First ankles, then hamstrings, groins, and even a collarbone. Football is more treacherous than I remember.
I made it to week 6 with only a few minor niggles, then unfortunately it was my turn. I changed direction and felt a sprain in my knee, and the knee felt unstable from then on. I could still play (I should have stopped!) but something was definitely wrong.
Four weeks later and I’m deep into rehab, steadily building back up the strength and stability of my knee while trying to maintain a positive outlook – some days are definitely easier than others.
If you’ve experienced something similar recently, as well as the fears, doubts and anxiety that come with it, this post is to show you that you’re not alone and share a few strategies to help you return to full strength.
How we respond mentally to a sports injury
Injuries suck, let’s be honest. They take us by surprise and instantly kill the fun of what we’re doing. When they’re serious, they can produce extreme pain and an outburst of emotion.
Most people will react to an injury in one, or more of the following ways:
- Shock
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Anger
- Trembling
- Frustration
- Depression
- Denial
- Crying
- Nausea
As the minutes, hours and days unfold after an injury, it’s not uncommon to experience the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). We are, after all, losing something in the process. Something we love to do.
So here you are, injured and concerned. What’s your next move? How can you recover mentally when you’re feeling this way?
How to recover mentally after a sports injury
Injury rehabilitation can be a slow and frustrating process, but if you view it as a challenge and an opportunity to learn more about your body, you’ll get through it easier. Some people take it as a sign to train smarter and are able to exceed their pre-injury fitness levels.
Here are some things that I’ve learned (often the hard way) that will make a positive difference to your rehab:
1. Feel what you’re feeling. A number of strong feelings and emotions will rise up at various times during rehabilitation. Anxiety, fear, depression, let them all out. These are natural responses to an injury so allow them to flow and observe what arises without judging yourself. You may want to start a journal to track your progress both physically and mentally.
2. Accept the injury. Accept that the injury has happened and this is the condition you’re currently in. That’s not always easy, but necessary for rehabilitation to be successful. The sooner you can accept an injury, the sooner you can start to rebuild.
3. Seek professional help. Assess, don’t guess. There are many professionals who specialise in sports injuries so find one locally with a good track record. A GP will give you an assessment and accurate diagnosis, while a physical therapist will provide treatment through each stage of recovery.
You may also want to triangulate input with a strength and conditioning coach who has experience in sports specific injuries, and can get you back to match fitness.
4. Rest. Your doctor and physical therapist may recommend a period of rest, to prevent further damage and allow any swelling to subside. Take the advice you’re given and rest. You can train other parts of your body and find different ways to keep the blood flowing, but this rest phase is essential for the injured site.
5. Study your injury. Use this period of immobilisation to learn more about your injury. What’s the anatomy involved? What has happened? How does healing occur? What’s the best way to recover? How long does it take? The more you know, the more tools you have to build back better. Seek inspiration and advice from those who have overcome similar injuries.
6. Set goals. With the help of your physical therapist you can set some goals to work towards. This will keep you focussed on the positive and the outcome you want. Make sure each of your goals are SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
7. Use visualisation. Stoke those positive feelings and emotions with visualisation. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and picture yourself running, jumping, throwing, kicking and smiling again. You may even want to create a mental training montage of you battling through the pain and achieving success.
8. Be mindful. As you progress through the stages of rehabilitation, try to strengthen the mind body connection. Breath deeply during your rehabilitation exercises and really feel the muscle contractions. Learn the different sensations of tension and relaxation while improving total body awareness.
9. Focus on steady progress. You may get frustrated and try to rush things, so focus on the daily exercises, repetitions and progression as per your therapists recommendations. Focus on quality movement and all those little wins while being kind to yourself.
10. Strengthen the whole body. It’s easy to get so focussed on the injury that you forget about the rest of your body – and what actually contributed to the injury in the first place. Assess your entire body and rebuild your programme so that you’re sharp, strong, mobile, agile, and resilient for the future.
11. Ask for help from your support group. Athletes love to tough things out themselves, but a support group makes it so much easier. Talk to your your family and friends. Ask for help where you need it. Find ways to smile and maintain a positive outlook.
12. Prepare better for the sport(s) you play. Sport is a great way to get fit, but you also need to be fit in order to play sport. The movement, pace, impact and changes of direction all take there toll on the body, so if you want to play the game safely, follow a sport specific fitness programme.
Conclusion
Sports injuries have a big impact on our mental health and can trigger a range of powerful emotions. Allow those emotions to arise without judging yourself, then bring your focus back to the positive as often a possible.
It’s important to take a mindful approach to rehabilitation and surround yourself with people who will build you up physically and mentally. If you seek help and do the work you may be able to return to, or exceed, your previous best.
Good luck, you’ve got this!
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Featured Image: @izuddinhelmi
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