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Psychological Effects of Injuries on Athlete

Feb 24, 20245 min read

Athletes' lives revolve heavily around their sport. They strive to be the best at their craft, regardless of the level of competition. As a result, athletes devote most of their free time and effort to their sport. As competitors, athletes are exposed to a variety of stressors, ranging from common life stressors to sport-specific stressors, such as performance demands, competition pressure, and injury. Additionally, challenges that hinder athletes from participating  in their sport for any period of time can be extremely difficult to cope with. Injury is one such challenge that can have a negative impact on an athlete's mental health and can lead to setbacks in their sports career. Because injuries can have a substantial impact on an athlete's psychological well-being, it is crucial to ensure that their feelings are acknowledged and that they receive the proper support they may require. 

Competitive sports and injuries have always gone hand in hand. Practice time, where athletes devote countless hours to their sport, is the time when the most injuries occur. Any sort of injury can hinder an athlete’s future career success . At the highest levels of sport competition, such as the Olympics, 11% of athletes suffer from a sports related injury, leading them to withdraw from the competition that they worked hard to qualify for (Scanaliato et al., 2021). Psychological effects on these injured athletes have been reported to include negative thinking, depression, guilt, anger, helplessness, and a loss of identity as an athlete (Moesch et al., 2020).  

Given the sudden decrease in physical activity after an injury, athletes may exhibit behaviors that put them at risk for developing an eating disorder (Haugen, 2022). Since athletes often experience a negative mental state following a significant injury, this change in mentality can potentially make them neglect their regular eating patterns. When recovering from injuries, it is possible that athletes can eat too much or too little, therefore picking up harmful dietary behaviors. Untreated psychological issues may also show symptoms of poor sleep as well as an increased prevalence of substance abuse. Many athletes abuse substances to cope with psychological issues, such as depression caused by their injuries. For instance, those who had suffered an orthopedic injury like a fracture were twice as likely to report trouble sleeping and harmful alcohol use (Haugen, 2022). 

There are numerous factors such as poor physical state, poor technical movement, under or over-training, and inadequate preparational activities that can contribute to athletes getting injured. Overuse injuries are another cause of sports-related injuries that arise from long-term repetitive movements that set off pathological signals in the body. Long-distance runners are especially susceptible to overuse injuries;  the number of competitive marathon runners suffering from overuse injuries has been found to be as high as 90% (Lei et al., 2022). Psychological factors, such as performance anxiety, also influence an athlete’s chance of injury. Student-athletes experiencing anxiety during preseason are reported to be twice as likely to have an injury during their sport season. This is because anxiety increases muscle tension, and increases distractibility during games (Haugen, 2022). 

Career termination or involuntary retirement due to a severe injury results in significant changes to an athlete's lifestyle, relations, and self-identity which can often result in impaired mental health (Haugen, 2022). A seamless rehabilitation process is therefore necessary for injured athletes. A nutritious diet is crucial during the recovery and rehabilitation of injured athletes because it lowers their chance of developing eating disorders, which are detrimental to both their physical and psychological well-being. To enhance their eating attitudes and the healing process, injured athletes should collaborate with dieticians to design a customized nutrition program. A nutritious diet is important because prolonged periods of immobilization after an injury cause muscles to atrophy by 0.5% per day (Sousana, 2020). Inactivity can also result in insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and a loss of muscle mass. A good diet that includes the consumption of macronutrients and supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acid supplements, can be advantageous for injured athletes because of their anti-inflammatory effects (Sousana, 2020). Injured athletes will be more motivated to recover psychologically when they feel the positive results of a healthy diet on their bodies. 

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is another effective anxiety-relieving strategy for athletes that are feeling the psychological effects of their injuries as well as  a loss of control over their emotions (Tang et al., 2022). The foundation of emotional competence is based on regulatory emotional self-efficacy, which is a person's belief in their capacity to successfully control their emotions (Tang et al., 2022). Daily mindfulness practices such as meditation enhance the athlete's emotional self-efficacy which helps control emotional impulses and improve their overall mental health. High-level sports teams should also consider collaborating with research facilities to develop mental training systems that include mindfulness training for athletes. This new type of training would help injured athletes return to practice and competitions in a healthy state of mind. By increasing the availability of psychological and physical evaluation equipment and increasing the percentage of funding allocated to mindfulness training, national sports bureaus could enhance the mental health of their athletes (Tang et al., 2022).  

In a nutshell, an injury is an athlete’s biggest enemy. It not only limits the ability of athletes to compete at a high level, but it also has a profound impact on their psychological well-being that can negatively affect their future as an athlete. It is vital to ensure a healthy and effective recovery by providing the right treatment. Proper care can be essential to minimizing the psychological repercussions that injuries can have on athletes.  



 
Ishleen Mahal, a nineteen year old living in Canada is a passionate nature enthusiast and avid reader. Her love for the great outdoors often finds her capturing its beauty through photography. Beyond her appreciation for nature, she's a dedicated Kinesiology student with aspirations to become a physiotherapist, and she constantly seeks to expand her knowledge through diligent research.

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