A New Paradigm for Management of the Injured Athlete – Part 2

A New Paradigm for Management of the Injured Athlete – Part 2

A New Paradigm for Management of the Injured Athlete – Part 1 provided an introduction to the five stages of sports injury in the FITNESS Practice. Part 2 will add direction and mental skills for the injured athlete.

The FITNESS Practice is an athlete-driven tool that provides an efficient way for athletes to move through injury. It also serves sports medicine professionals and coaches to aid the athlete through injury and recovery.

The current approach to sports injury takes a narrow view of the athlete by focusing only on the injury. By providing the athlete with mental skills, guidance, education, and purpose, athletes can better manage their injury. The goal of this approach is to place the focus on the athlete, not the injury.

This first stage of injury recovery is medically guided and incorporates key motivations for the injured athlete of education, mental skills, and social support. These establish a solid framework as the athlete moves through the other stages of injury recovery.

Initial Injury FITNESS Practice

• F – Find Help
• I – Information
• T – Treatment
• N – Navigate
• E – Emotion
• S – Skills
• S – Support

FIND HELP

Many athletes struggle both with the idea they are injured and where to turn. It’s common for athletes to ignore an injury, hoping it will “feel better tomorrow” or taking time off, feeling that will be the answer. Athletes also struggle to tough it out and often end up causing further issues or causing more severe injuries.

Injured athletes also don’t know where to turn for their injuries. Do you talk to the coach? Should you see a specialist? Which one? Will they even understand my sport? A common assumption of injured athletes is that the practitioner will take them away from their sport, which often causes a delay in obtaining treatment.

This first step provides the injured athlete with assessments to diagnosis the injury along with providing initial direction.

INFORMATION

The next step for the injured athlete during the initial stage of injury is information. The more educated the athlete is about their injury and recovery, the better the physical and psychological outcomes. Treatment providers need to commit to education for the injured athlete.

Equipping the athlete with knowledge allows them to build confidence and decrease stress during this “unknowing” phase of injury.

TREATMENT

The sports medicine team directs treatment; however, the athlete is an active participant on his/her injury treatment team. Athletes are not just looking for what. They need to know why and how the injury occurred. It helps them analyze training patterns and may prevent recurrent injury in the future.

Laying out the treatment plan with the athlete, creating an anticipated timeline for healing, and answering all questions, including a timetable for a return to sport, needs to be part of the athletes’ treatment plan.

Setting realistic timelines can be difficult with many sports injuries, but it is crucial for goal-driven athletes.

NAVIGATE

Navigating the medical maze of injury is overwhelming for many athletes. Being in the medical system can be complex. For younger athletes, this may be the first time experiencing multiple medical specialties and opinions.

Navigating through the unknown of a sports injury, the athlete often feels a loss of control.

Not only assisting the athlete through the medical landscape but also focusing on those things the athlete can control is beneficial.

EMOTION

The emotions of the injured athlete at this stage are often tricky and varied. Emotions also depend on the diagnosis and severity of the injury. Knowing how to support the athlete through the early emotions of injury helps with psychological well-being. Importantly, athletes experiencing negative emotions tend to adhere less to their rehabilitation program.

SKILLS

Most of the time, athletes focus solely on the physical skills of recovery. Mental skills are a key aspect of the FITNESS Practice and are discussed and utilized during each stage of injury recovery.

Mental skills are essential throughout all the stages of injury and return to performance. The skills gained allow the athlete to manage the complexity of the injury and create a performance mindset. These same skills are also something the athlete can call on when they return to sport.

During the initial injury, mental skills focus on coping, self-compassion, and self-awareness.

SUPPORT

Social support is reported as one of the critical psychological needs of an athlete dealing with an injury. Building a community around the athlete combats the isolation felt through injury. Helping the athlete identify those who can provide different support types is needed early in the initial injury phase. The types of support required may be emotional, physical, informational, and connected social support.

Once the athlete has moved through this initial phase of injury and into stage 2, the healing phase, a new set of FITNESS practices applies.

Knowing what support and skills the injured athlete needs during each stage of recovery is the FITNESS Practice’s strength.

Part 3 will address FITNESS through stage 2, the healing phase.