Lecture 12: Injury Flashcards
what are examples of physical factors that can cause injury and how can this be prevented
muscle imbalances, high-speed collisions, overtraining, and physical fatigue
–> importance of physical preparation and fitness
what is an example of social factors that can cause injury
- view that playing with injury/pain is valued; athletes may feel like it is expected of them to continue
visualize and explain the model that shows the effect of psychological factors (stress) on athletic injury
factors that have an influence (from the top):
- personality factors
- history of stressors
- coping resources
factor that has an influence (from the left):
-_potentially stressful situation
factor that has an influence (from the bottom):
- _psychological skill interventions
they influence:
- perception of threat
- stress response and increased state anxiety
- attention/idstractions and muscle tension
outcome variable:
- injury
what are 4 examples of personality factors related to injury
- optimism (low; pessimistic)
- self-esteem (low)
- hardiness (low)
- trait anxiety (high)
explain the relationship between stress and injury briefly
- athletes with higher levels of life stress have more injuries than do those with lower levels of life stress
- teaching stress management techniques may help athletes and exercisers perform more effectively and may reduce their risk of injury and illness
what are the main stress sources for athletes
- physiological reactions (e.g., fear of reinjury, feeling that hopes and dreams were shattered, watching others get to perform)
- social concerns (e.g., lack of attention, isolation, negative relationships)
what 2 factors have the biggest influence on whether stress may lead to injury
- few coping skills
- little social support
what are 2 theories to explain the relationship between stress and injury and explain them
- Attentional disruption; stress disrupts an athlete’s attention by reducing peripheral attention –> there is less attention for situations that could potentially cause injuries
- Increased muscle tension; high stress can be accompanied by considerable muscle tension that interferes with normal coordination and increases the chance of injury; increased stress may also lead to generalized fatigue, muscle inefficiency, reduced flexibility, and motor coordination problems
what are 2 attitudes held by players that may increase the chance of injury
- Act tough and always give 110%”
- “If you’re injured, you’re worthless”
explain chronic traumatic encephalopathy
= neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive (e.g., memory impairment), mood (e.g., depression), and behavioral (e.g., impulse control) problems thought to be caused, in part, by repetitive brain trauma associated with contact sports like football, rugby, and boxing
provide and explain the 5-stage grief response that is apparent in athletes as an emotional response to injury
- denial,
- anger,
- bargaining,
- depression, and
- acceptance and reorganization
what are the 3 general categories of emotional responses to injury
- Injury-relevant information processing: the injured athlete focuses on information related to the pain of the injury, awareness of the extent of injury, and questions about how the injury happened, and the individual recognizes the negative consequences or inconvenience
- Emotional upheaval and reactive behavior: once the athlete realizes that she is injured, she may become emotionally agitated; have vacillating emotions; feel emotionally depleted; feel isolated and disconnected; and feel shock, disbelief, denial, or self-pity
- Positive outlook and coping: the athlete accepts the injury and deals with it, initiates positive coping efforts, exhibits a good attitude and is optimistic, and is relieved to sense progress
what are 5 examples of other kinds of reactions to injury
- Identity loss: Some athletes who can no longer participate because of an injury have a loss of personal identity. Coaches providing a supportive environment during the rehabilitation process helped athletes maintain their self-identity as athletes
- Fear and anxiety: Worry about whether they will recover, whether reinjury will occur, and whether someone will replace them permanently in the lineup. Much time for this is freed up by the lack of practice.
- Lack of confidence: Given the inability to practice and compete and their deteriorated physical status, athletes may lose confidence after an injury. This can result in decreased motivation, inferior performance, or even additional injury if the athlete overcompensates.
- Performance decrements: Because of lowered confidence and missed practice time, athletes may have postinjury declines in performance. Many athletes have difficulty lowering their expectations after an injury and may expect to return to a preinjury level of performance.
- Group processes: Injury to an athlete can affect group processes in a team either negatively or positively. Eg, might disrupt the flow of the team, but may also bring them together to make up for the loss.
what are some signs of poor adjustment to injury
- Feelings of anger and confusion
- Obsession with the question of when one can return to play
- Denial (e.g., “The injury is no big deal”)
- Repeatedly coming back too soon and becoming reinjured
- Exaggerated bragging about accomplishments
- Dwelling on minor physical complaints
- Guilt about letting the team down
- Withdrawal from significant others
- Rapid mood swings
- Statements indicating that recovery will not occur no matter what is done
explain the role that sport psychology has in injury
- mostly important in recovery
- psychological interventions can have an effect on how fast/slow someone recovers
what are 3 things that fast-healing athletes did compared to slow-healing athletes (psychological interventions)
- more goal-setting
- more positive self-talk strategies
- (to a lesser degree) more healing imagery
what are 5 challenges involved in the return to sport
- anxiety over reinjury
- heightened performance anxiety
- uncertainty about meeting the expectations of others
- diminished physical self-efficacy
- concerns about performing at preinjury levels
how does type of motivation influence return to play
- athletes who exhibited higher levels of intrinsic motivation to return to play displayed a greater appreciation of the sport, enhanced mental toughness, and heightened motivation for success
- athletes with extrinsic motivation displayed diminished confidence, unsatisfying performances, and heightened competitive anxiety
what are 4 predictors of adherence to injury rehabilitation
- Personal attributes: Pain tolerance, tough-mindedness, self-motivation, identity
- Environmental characteristics: Social support, practitioner expectations of adherence, comfortable clinical settings, convenient scheduling of appointments
- Effective adherence interventions: Reinforcement, goal setting, education, multimodal interventions
- Predictors of adherence: Rehabilitation self-efficacy, personal control over injury recovery, perceptions of injury severity, emotional distress, treatment efficacy
what are the 3 phases of injury recovery
- Injury or lllness Phase: Help the athlete deal with the emotional upheaval that accompanies the onset of injury.
- Rehabilitation and Recovery Phase: Help the athlete sustain motivation and adherence to rehabilitation protocols.
- Return to Full Activity Phase: Full recovery is not complete until the athlete can return to normal functioning within his or her sport.
what are ways to support injured athletes
- build rapport with the injured person; athletes often feel frustration, anger, confusion, etc, which makes it hard to connect –> try to understand their feelings/show empathy, provide emotional support, be realistic but positive and optimistic
- educate the injured person about the injury and recovery. process; explain what to expect, make sure they understand the practicalities and outline the recovery process
- teach specific psychological coping skills
- teach how to cope with setbacks; inform them that they are likely to occur but that its important to maintain a positive attitude
- foster social suport; emotional support from friends and loved ones; informational support from a coach
- ensure athletes are psychologically ready to return to play
what are the 4 most important psychological coping skills to teach athletes recovering from injury
- goal setting; eg. when you want to return to play, performance goals, what you will do when, etc
- positive self-talk; help counteract lowered confidence
- imagery or visualization; visualize yourself in game conditions to maintain playing skills and facilitate return to competition, or quicken recovery by visualizing the removal of injured tissue and the growth of new healthy tissue and muscle
- relaxation training; useful for relieving pain and stress, which usually accompany severe injury and the injury recovery process.; athletes can also use relaxation techniques to facilitate sleep and reduce general levels of tension
how can one identify athletes that are at risk of sustaining injuries (5)
These athletes have been characterized by combinations of:
- high trait anxiety
- high life stress
- low psychological and coping skills
- low social support
- high avoidance coping
what are 7 recommendations for coaches for coping with injuries and facilitating rehabilitation
- Foster coach-athlete contact and involvement.
- Demonstrate positive empathy and support.
- Understand individual variations in injuries and injury emotions.
- Motivate by optimally pushing.
- Engineer the training environment for high-quality, individualized training.
- Have patience and realistic expectations.
- Don’t repeatedly mention injury in training.