Teamwork in Football/Bringing Science to the Pitch

Previous history of injuries

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Anxiety state, related to the activity and athletic competition

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“Stiffness” (righteousness, commitment, and control)

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Confrontational styles

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Confrontation skills domain

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Social support

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High motivation to sporting goals

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High self-confidence

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High self-esteem

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Tendency for optimism

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System of beliefs and attitudes

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3.2.4 Psychological Injury Recovery and Prevention

One of the most important issues facing the person who has responsibility to retrieve an injured person consists in the evaluation of their behavioral reactions to injury.

Brewer [5] mentioned various situational and personal variables, related to the psychological and emotional reactions to injury. With regard to situational variables, the severity of the injury and the time required for recovery appear to be the most stress-generating factors. On the contrary, when there is a strong social support and there is evolution in recovery, stress levels seem to drop significantly. As regards personal variables, Brewer [5] referred the success had on previous injury recovery; the type of practice and sporting competition; the patient’s age, with more negative emotional phenomena in young and older athletes; and extremely negative ways of thinking and pessimistic also generating higher levels of stress, calling into question the emotional stability of the athlete.

Main signs of psychological adjustment in the face of injury:

(a)

Loss of identity – An injury that requires an athlete to abandon definitely practice or sporting competition generates naturally a loss in personal identity of the athlete. The fact that a major loss in itself “was lost” negatively affects seriously the athlete’s self-concept and self-esteem
(b)

Fear and anxiety – Injured athletes may also experience high levels of fear and anxiety, experiencing particularly high levels of concern about their ability to fully recover from injury, about the possibility of turning the injured, and about the possibility of being able to be away from the team and replaced by other colleagues. The fact that they cannot train or compete allows them to have much time to worry about these aspects
(c)

Lack of confidence – The lack of trust and training time will likely lead to declines or significant decreases in income after the injury. Many athletes have a huge difficulty in lowering their expectations and personal requirements after an injury and, on the contrary, continue to have expectation levels identical to those that had before injuries

Psychological reactions associated with sports injuries (Table 3.2) (adapted from Petitpas and Danish 1995; Source: Cruz and Dias 1996 [8]):

Table 3.2

Signs of a potentially problematic adjustment to sports injuries (Adapted from Petitpas and Danish 1995; Source: Cruz and Dias 1996) [8]

Feeling of irritation, anger, and confusion

Obsessive thoughts about the day he can return to compete

Negation (e.g., “the injury is nothing…”)

Return repeatedly to competition too quickly, and they suffer injuries

Pride over the top (“wife”) about the benefits and achievements

Insistence on physical complaints without importance

Blame for the weak earnings of team

Isolation and/or removal of other significant people

Rapid changes in moods

Claims, regardless what is done, the recovery will not be possible

The fact that athletes experience negative emotional reactions can contribute to a good or a bad injury recovery. Buceta [6] indicates several steps of the stress associated with the post-injury period: at the time of hospitalization, in recovery, in resumption of training functions, the fact that the athlete competes injured, and in cases where athletes have to stop leaving his practice compete.

Ievleva and Orlick [15], through interviews, showed that athletes who resorted to the practice of positive thinking, and the mental visualization of the state of its development, recovered more effectively and faster.

Weinberg and Gould [23] drawed attention to some practical techniques of psychological intervention in recovery, mainly:

The relationship with the athlete should be based on the seriousness and optimism. The training methodology to perform must be known to the injured athlete
Using psychological skills such as visualization and relaxation should be conveniently prepared
The injured athlete should be prepared to overcome any unforeseen factors
A dynamic of constant emotional support and help for people who share more directly to the athlete’s life

According Buceta [6] psychological intervention must have four post-injury central objectives:

(a)

Improve well-being and psychological functioning of athletes
(b)

Contribute and promote the effectiveness of rehabilitation
(c)

Help athletes in return to sports practice and competition
(d)

Prevent relapses or new lesions

Given the important role of psychological processes in injury recovery, we can conceptualize the psychological intervention, in this kind of cases, according to four main points suggested by Cruz and Dias [8]:

(a)

Analyze the behaviors of athletes before the injury, as well as their resources to deal with the same
(b)

Train athletes in some psychological strategies that help them in reducing control of stress associated with injuries
(c)

Teach all those who deal with the injured athlete about the behaviors that may have to assist the recovery process
(d)

Cooperate with all components of the medical team, in a way that it can be a permanent and clear communication with the athlete about the evolution of the recovery

It is in this sense that Buceta [6] points out the goals of the work of the sports psychologist:

(a)

The contribution to the development and personal growth of the athletes
(b)

Performance optimization
(c)

The prevention and recovery of injuries
(d)

The general well-being of the athletes

3.2.5 Effectiveness of Psychological Intervention in the Prevention of Sports Injuries

A study of Ievleva and Orlick [15], which analyzes the strategies and psychological factors associated with a rapid recovery from injury, evaluated the following factors:

(a)

Attitude to injury – We all know that the way they face the injury has a positive or negative influence to their recovery
(b)

Stress control – High levels of stress may predispose to illness and injury and can also hinder a rapid recovery. It depends on the individual’s way of dealing with the stress, as well as the circumstances in which the subject lives
(c)

Social support – Those who have high levels of social support experienced less stress when faced with unforeseen events
(d)

Formulating objectives – It is the first step to start any task, including a rapid recovery from injury
(e)

Internal positive speech – Internal positive speech as we all know contributes to personal well-being. Athletes cannot change the fact that they were injured, but they can control their thoughts about the injury and his recovery
(f)

Mental visualization – Images of a complete rehabilitation, as well as a positive recovery process, have beneficial results [19]
(g)

Beliefs – All of the above strategies have the greatest chance of success if the athlete believes and feels what is to be done

3.3 Part II

3.3.1 Psychological Assessment and Diagnosis of Sports Injuries

The injury often occurs and can suddenly stop the realization of the objectives of the athlete’s income [14]. All injuries can drag something psychological: physical, social, and psychological factors that are dependent on the role that sport represents in the life of an athlete. Due to the large investment in terms of time, energy, and money, an athlete experiences a greater loss and a greater threat to self-esteem.

In this sense, authors such as Buceta [6] and Heil [14] emphasize the need and importance to assess and/or diagnose various aspects and psychological factors associated with sports injuries.

3.3.2 The Preceding Factors of the Lesion

The personal attitudes and behaviors, as well as events in the recent past and remote, are reflected in the athlete and in his ability to face and deal with the weight of an injury. Thus it becomes important to assess factors such as medical and psychological history and the experience of significant changes in sport and personal life.

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