Mentally Recovering From An Injury

Suffering an injury in sport can be one of an athletes biggest obstacles placed in the way of achieving peak performance. Athletes often spend hours upon hours dedicated to competition and training, along with all of this effort comes emotional ties, often athletes can suffer an injury that prevents them from participating in their sport for extended periods of time which in turn can have a severely negative impact on the athlete.

However, with the advancements in rehabilitation and surgical techniques athletes have a high success rate of returning to normal physical functioning, and even to their sport.  Recent studies within the sports medicine community have shown the effects of an athltes psychological state can have on recovery.

While injuries for athletes often bring negative emotions such as: stress, anxiety, and worry; all of which can have a debilitating effect on the athletes psychological well being. A prolonged negative psychological state can have negative effects on future performance as well as progress of recovery.

Mental Imagery In Recovery

A negative psychological state following an injury can be avoided using mental imagery. Mental imagery can be used to speed recovery of injured body part.  The ability to speed recovery using mental imagery is a relatively unused technique among athletes, this stems mainly from a lack of proper understanding.

During the rehabilitation process athletes can use mental imagery to visualize the regrowth and strengthening of the injured tissues.

Suggested Strategies for Successful Mental Healing:

1. Athletes should begin by forming clear mental images of the damaged tissue, this includes developing an accurate understanding of exactly what is mechanically wrong with the tissue/body part. (x-rays, MRI’s, ultrasounds are useful in aiding in understanding)
2. Athletes should then envision what the healed state of the tissues/body parts will appear and how it will properly interact when damage has been corrected. (It is vital that these images are powerful and positive in order to be most effective.)
3. Prior to a rehabilitation session athletes should become relaxed in order to think clearly and allow thoughts to be most effective, and prevent any unwanted muscle contractions.
4. Ideally during a rehabilitation session an athlete will perform positive mental imagery in coordination with treatments; such as ice blocking receptors for swelling, ultrasound sending healing waves, and physical therapy directing blood flow to injured area.

These techniques have been supported by various studies that have shown mental imagery and its effects on physiological responses, such as enhancements of immune system in cancer patients, changes of muscle activity, increased heart rate, and even changes in body temperature.

The amount of mental imagery an athlete uses in the healing process is directly related to their belief of rehabilitation, and hence their recovery.