Sport Injuries: Affecting Athletes' Menality

http://www.mojocomic.com/comic/sport-injury/ 

Sport injuries are typically unexpected and are unfortunately one of the largest risks of participating in a sport. "While most injuries can be managed with little to no disruption in sport participation and other activities of daily living, some impose a substantial physical and mental burden" (Putukian). Some student-athletes allow these injuries to impose a psychological response that can provoke mental issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or substance use or abuse. The emotional response is just as vulnerable and often the hardest to deal with. Most athletes find themselves having difficulty coping with the injury and how it will affect them. Some of the emotional responses include:

• Sadness
• feeling unhappy and in despair
• Isolation
• separation of others
• Irritation
• constant annoyance
• Lack of motivation
• not willing to do things, lazy, nostalgic 
• Anger
• feeling upset, mad
• Frustration
• annoyed or upset with being unable to change something
• Changes in appetite
• eating less or more than usual
• Sleep disturbance
• not being able to fall asleep, constantly thinking about injury 
• Disengagement
• withdrawing from activity or a group of people

Some athlete's participation may be withdrawn from minutes to days to weeks to months or years depending on the severity of the injury. The length of being drawn away from the athlete's sport may increase and lengthen such emotions and mental health issues. It's important to note that such emotional responses are to be expected from the injured athlete, but they become an issue if they are not resolved or worsen over time. 

Concussions are injuries that student-athletes struggle to cope with the most, seeing that there is never an estimated recovery time and also not much to do to help speed up the healing process. Concussions are more of a mental injury, making it more difficult for athletes to realize it's just as important as a physical injury. Just because there is not physical identification of an injury does not mean it is not present or not as serious. 

Seeking treatment for the mental affects of injuries is just as important as seeking the treatment for the injury itself. Athletes have been shown to be a bit more stubborn when it come to admitting harsh mental affects the injury has caused upon them. "They may be afraid to reveal their symptoms, may see seeking counseling as a sign of weakness, may be accustomed to working through pain, may have a sense of entitlement and never had to struggle, and may not have developed healthy coping mechanisms to deal with failure. In addition, many student-athletes have not developed their identity outside of that as an athlete. Thus, if this role is threatened by injury or illness, they may experience a significant 'loss.'" (Putukian). Coaches, athletic trainers, and team physicians may be the best outlook for student-athletes, seeing that the athlete feels that they can connect with them the most as to what they are experiencing. Keeping the athlete feeling a part of the team is also crucial towards avoiding psychological issues. It can boost themselves into feeling that they haven't completely lost everything they've worked so hard towards.   

Source(s):

Putukian, Margot. "Mind, Body and Sport: How Being Injured Affects Mental Health." NCAA.

             NCAA, 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

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Stacie Kussro