Psychological factors involved in sports injury.

Athletes are continually facing challenges and seeking to improve themselves. Sometimes these challenges involve fighting for titles, but sometimes the challenge is to overcome a tough moment, such as an injury. In fact, one of the most emotionally stressful situations for an athlete is injury.

A question of gravity and timeliness:

Depending on the severity of the injury and the time at which it appears, it will cause greater stress and negative emotions. The more serious the injury and the longer the recovery time, the more difficulties in coping with it on a psychological level. Injuries are always untimely, but sometimes they can have a great influence on a sports career, causing loss of opportunities or even retirement.

Whether we are talking about elite athletes or at a recreational and health level, sport can be an important pillar in our lives. Injury can cause a loss of this pillar, leaving us without access to the positive emotions and benefits it brings us.

The relationship between psychological factors and injuries is becoming increasingly well established in psychology. We will enumerate some of these influences:

  • Changes in the day to day: When suffering an injury, readjustments occur in which it is necessary to change the training for medical interventions and rehabilitation.
  • Isolation: This interruption causes you to be away from your team or group for a period of time.
  • Loss of opportunities: permanence in the team is put at risk, to sign new contracts…
  • Uncertainty: Recovery times are variable, there is a lot of uncertainty and a feeling of loss of control over your environment.

All these factors influence the psychological well-being of the person and can generate more or less limiting symptoms. The symptoms that appear most frequently are the following:

  • Irritability
  • Hostility
  • Negative thoughts
  • Anxiety


Stress control and management of emotions and negative thoughts associated with the injury are aspects where psychology can contribute its grain of sand. Psychological intervention, if necessary, can contribute to a proper recovery, improve adherence to treatment and rehabilitation programs and even improve the time frame. In relation to your psychological and emotional well-being can prevent more serious complications, taking care of our mental health.

Some tips on how to best deal with an injury process are as follows: To have recovery and rehabilitation routines:

Putting yourself in the hands of professional help and having access to products such as ((((XXX PENTALIUM XXX)))) will not only provide you with the proven benefits of these treatments, but will also give you more control over this process, you will feel that you are actively contributing to your recovery instead of passively facing it.

Take an active role: being actively involved in your recovery helps to reduce the uncertainty, anxiety and depressive symptoms that sometimes arise in coping with the injury.

Seek social support: In addition to getting in the hands of professionals for recovery (doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists ….), social support from family, teammates, coaches and club is essential to cushion all the stress generated by an injury process.

Francisco Javier Bonilla Rodríguez www.psicod.com

Written by:

Javier bonilla psicologo deportivo

Francisco Javier Bonilla Rodríguez - Psychologist

0