Overcoming injury through the mind

Friday, September 20, 2019

Damien Clement, PhD, A TC, CMPC, NCC

Acting Assistant Dean, WVU Honors College
Associate Professor, Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology/ Athletic Training

Student-athletes face a multitude of challenges in overcoming injuries. In attempting to achieve recovery and return to the field or court, athletes often rely on physical and psychological techniques. Damien Clement, associate professor, sport, exercise and performance psychology and athletic training, strongly supports the utilization of sport psychology techniques in preparing for the athlete’s return to competition.

“It’s a very rewarding experience for me working with an injured athlete from their initial injury all the way through rehabilitation and back to the field of play. Athletic injury is very common place in athletics but the emphasis on the psychological aspects of recovery is only beginning to become mainstream,” Clement said.

According to Clement, when injured athletes are exposed to a holistic approach to their injury rehabilitation, it often incorporates a major emphasis on psychological recovery. And that emphasis can make a major difference, not only in healing their injury but also in improving their lives moving forward.

“To see athletes embrace the psychological aspect of their recovery and dedicate the time to getting better psychologically makes it all worth it. Moreover, some of the skills introduced during psychological rehabilitation can be used in other aspects of athletes’ lives, so they are not only able to get back to the field of play quicker, but they are also getting introduced to some skills which can be used in their ordinary lives as well, as an added bonus,” he added.

But the process of rehabilitation isn’t without its challenges, Clement says. “I believe one of the major challenges is initially getting through to an injured athlete and helping him/her to put their injury into context. Once that context and situation has been realized, it opens a wealth of avenues which can be pursued to help the athlete better manage their injury and the subsequent emotional and behavioral consequences which result from it,” Clement said.

Clement incorporates four main techniques when working with injured athletes. From deep breathing to goal-setting, these techniques can speed recovery, build an athlete’s confidence in their ability to recover and help to sustain recovery (even improving an athlete’s daily life) in the long-term. Techniques used in helping an athlete recover from injury include: goal setting, utilization of social support, deep breathing and mental imagery.

DEEP BREATHING

One simple but vital skill that helps to distract from pain is to engage in deep breathing exercises. This can help regulate anxiety levels. Having athletes put one hand on their chest and one on their stomach, then gauge which hand should be moving first — ideally the hand on their stomach — they can regulate their own breathing and stress levels.

MENTAL IMAGERY

Another technique involves creating mental pictures. An injured athlete who can imagine themselves performing a certain movement or exercise can strengthen that mental pathway. Creating mental pictures actually innervates the muscles in a similar way to physically practicing, helping to prepare the mind and body for the process of recovery.

SOCIAL SUPPORT

Athletes recovering from injury need a support network that will act as an emotional buffer while providing tangible things like money and transportation. Support can come from sports medicine professionals, doctors and athletic trainers who also provide intangible knowledge and emotional support.

GOAL SETTING

One of the oldest and most utilized forms of overcoming any obstacle is to set goals and work to attain them. Clement asks athletes to set moderately difficult goals that are specific, action-oriented and timelimited. These goals are then revisited on a regular basis to determine if they have been met or need to be revised.