Let’s face it, injuries suck and some of us feel like we’re better off without them. But what if I were to tell you that being injured could be a blessing in disguise. Crazy right?

There’s no doubting that when we get injured our minds go to a dark place. Whether it is playing the injury scenario over and over again in our heads, thinking about “If only I had just left the player alone”, and thinking about what we are missing out on for the next few weeks, months, or even years.

It’s no surprise athletes can have awful injury experiences. This includes emotional disruption, questioning their identity, withdrawing from social situations, feeling isolated and fearing returning to sport (the list goes on).

But being injured doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom. Being injured can benefit us a lot more than we think. Studies have found experiencing adversity, including injury, are experiences Olympic champions believe have contributed to their success. More importantly, being injured can help athletes experience personal growth. For example, a 1997 study found US skiers who suffered season-ending injuries ranging from torn ACLs to head injuries reported gaining a better life perspective, having better time management skill and improving their skiing technique.

Athletes have reported being injured actually provides them with opportunities to learn about themselves. Furthermore, being injured can enhance their level of maturity and help them better manage their bodies.

Additional benefits can be seen for student-athletes. In a time where students may be more concerned with their athletic performance over their academic performance, being injured afforded student-athletes the time to direct their effort towards academia.

Finally, mental toughness is a phrase that a lot of coaches like to use and aim to instil in their athletes. A 2006 study found athletes returning to sport following serious injury reported an increase in mental toughness.

This suggests, for some athletes being injured can actually lead to improved functioning to a level greater than before they were injured. This optimal functioning may not necessarily be in relation to athletic performance, but relates to increased pro-social and health behaviours, personal strength, self-acceptance, social relationships and body care.

Why do some athletes have a positive experience?

You may be wondering; how do athletes have this positive experience after being injured while others don’t? Roy-Davis and colleagues proposed a step-by-step mechanism that outlines the process that results in athletes having this positive experience.

The athlete has knowledge and control over their thoughts. They are able to reflect over their thoughts and feelings regarding the injury experience.
From this, they are able to see the positives in the situation. They can interpret this injury experience as an opportunity to develop rather than a threat.
Following this viewpoint, they are able to experience positive emotions, such as inspiration, optimism and confidence.
The injured athlete is then able to engage in behaviours that will benefit them. Rather than doing nothing, the athlete looks to be proactive. This includes seeking knowledge, exploring and acting on opportunities to develop themselves, engaging in purposeful reflections and adhering to rehabilitation.

However, there are a number of factors that impact whether the athlete goes through this step-by-step process and has a positive injury experience. These are the athlete-specific factors to look out for that can impact the process:

Personality – This includes optimism, openness to experiences, emotional intelligence and many more. For example, research has found the personality trait of hardiness (an attitude of resilience during adversity) is positively related to positive responses to injury.
Believed available social support – Are athletes aware and believe they have quality support available for them?
Coping style – How do they normally respond to stressful situations. Do they focus on solving the problem? Do they seek reasons to explain what’s happening? Do they turn to religion?
Previous experience and knowledge – Does the athlete normally reflect on past experiences and draw on lessons learned from them?

There are also factors outside of the athlete that help them experience growth through injury. If you want your athletes to have a greater chance of having a positive injury experience its best to consider these factors and try to manipulate them as best you can:

Cultural scripts – Do you have a sporting culture that provides a narrative of triumphing over adversity?
Physical resources – Are there actual resources the athlete can use to help them through their injury process? This includes available medical care, educational material and transport to support.
Received social support – Do the athletes receive support that can help them review their injury experience? Do they have someone to provide emotional and tangible support?
Free-time – Does the athlete have time to engage in activities other than training? Are they able to devote time to hobbies, their families and friends?

Psychological tip:

To increase the likelihood of having a positive experience following injury, voice record your injury experiences and talk about your deepest thoughts and feelings. This has been found to help injured individuals experience increased self-awareness, self-care and better-quality relationships.

Summary:

Injuries suck but we can still get a positive experience from it
Positive injury experiences involve the athlete:

Reflecting over their thoughts and feelings
Changing how they view the situation
Experiencing positive emotions
Being proactive

Multiple factors impact the likelihood of a positive injury experience:
- Personality
- Coping style
- Believed social support
- Previous knowledge and experience
- Cultural script
- Physical resources
- Received social support
- Free-time

Footnote:

The information in this article doesn’t apply to all ranges of injury severity and stages of injury. In no way does this article suggest that all injury severities are necessary to perform well and can all result in experience the same positive effects as each other. However, the way we interpret the situation and actively seek to cope with it can ultimately impact the type of experience we have following injury

Article by Edgar Chekera

Why Being Injured Can Be Good For You And How You Can Experience This

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