Injured athletes can experience growth following injury by turning a setback into a transformative and positive experience. Dr. Carl Bescoby explores how to enable a positive experience and facilitate opportunities for athletes to experience growth following injury.
Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Zak Zinter is carted off by medics after an injury during the second half of the NCAA football game. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Sport-injury-related growth (SIRG) encompasses the positive changes and development that injured athletes can experience. It represents the process of recovering physically and emerging from the injury stronger, both mentally and emotionally, turning adversity into an opportunity for growth and resilience. It is gaining recognition and importance in sports psychology and rehabilitation(1-4).
In the face of a sports injury, athletes often find themselves at a crossroads, facing challenges that extend far beyond the physical. Reframing their injury experience and focusing on the potential for growth through personal, psychological, social, and physical development offers a new perspective on injury management. Clinicians are pivotal in facilitating this transformation and providing athletes with the tools and support they need to recover from injury.
Athletes often experience negative emotions like frustration, isolation, irritation, denial, sadness, and anger after injury. From there, they may experience a range of psychological responses such as identity loss, reduced confidence, fear of reinjury, and performance concerns. These emotional and psychological concerns can be challenging to overcome throughout rehabilitation. However, athletes can undergo positive changes in various aspects of their lives and experience growth. They must reflect on their injury experience, manage their emotional responses, and identify how injury can shape their subsequent personal and sporting goals. Sport-injury-related growth is the perceived changes that propel injured athletes to a higher level of functioning than that which existed before their injury(1).
Facing adversity and injury provides the potential for positive benefits that athletes can experience following injury. Athletes experience various positive outcomes following what seem to be negative consequences due to injuries(5). This may include personal benefits, psychological-based performance enhancements, and physical/technical benefits. The role of self-disclosure and strengthened social networks during rehabilitation offers psychological and social growth opportunities(6). Thus, SIRG is categorized into personal, psychological, physical, and social dimensions.
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