Coping With a Sports Injury

From teens to adults, the emotions felt after experiencing a sports injury can make a difficult situation much worse. Avoid this by creating a coping plan that will help your athletes achieve their goals and get them back in the game.

Accept the injury – It is important to communicate to your athlete that although the injury may not be their fault, accepting that it has occurred will allow them to focus more on their recovery rather than dwelling on the activities they can no longer do as a result.

Monitor attitude – Remind your athlete to try to sustain a positive attitude about the recovery and rehabilitation. This will allow them to remain focused on the tasks at hand and to overcome their injury.

Learn about the injury and recovery – Try to educate your athlete as much as possible about their injury and encourage them to learn more from an athletic trainer. Addressing the following questions with your athlete will avoid fear or anxiety about recovery:

• What type of injury do they have?
• How long will recovery take?
• How will the treatments suggested help with recovering?
• What to expect from rehabilitation?
• What alternative workouts can they do?
• What are the warning signs that their injury is worsening?

Set recovery goals — To keep your athlete focused and motivated, encourage them to view their injury as a training challenge and have them set realistic goals that will help them recover faster and stronger.

Maintain fitness level — After your athlete has consulted with a physician and athletic trainer, determine if there are alternative forms of training that will help them maintain cardiovascular health and strength. If options for fitness alternatives are limited, have them consider better nutritional health instead.

For more information about sports injuries or treatment, visit Heartland Orthopedic Specialists’ Sports Medicine Center online or call (320) 335-6078.