Sport Psych Topic in Focus: Injury is a negative experience to say the least, however there is research which suggests we do not all go through the same experience. Research by Everard, Wadey and Howells (2021) find 6 storylines which athletes go through when experiencing an injury and going through rehabilitation.
Here is a short overview of these narratives:
Resilience: Having a ‘work harder’ mindset, to control the controllables and maintaining well-being and performance despite injury setbacks.
Merry-go-round: The highs and lows of post-injury where progression is made, only for reinjury to occur, impacting an athletes’ well-being where they compare themselves to those around them, be consumed by performance targets, cheating and rushing rehab.
Longevity: Time lost from injury is time gained in the longer term to prolong the athletic career, where training smart, not hard becomes the focus.
Snowball: A downward trajectory where an initial minor injury leads to additional injuries increasing in severity and frequency, with an athlete engaging in overtraining and competing whilst injured.
Moretome: An athlete is able to view their injury within the context of their life, seeing the injury as a part of who they are, with opportunities existing in their life beyond sport.
Pendulum: Finding the middle ground where you alternate between a performance focus to rush a return to sport, and a longevity to take time to recover fully prior to increasing intensity.
Find the original research here:
Everard, C., Wadey, R., & Howells, K. (2021). Storying sports injury experiences of elite track athletes: A narrative analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 56, 102007.
