Participating in intercollegiate athletics takes a great amount of athletic skill, but it also takes a very strong mind. As in the case study, many female athletes battle the consequences of an ACL injury. And as an athletic trainer, my job would be to work with her and prepare her to get back to competition. A number of studies point to the importance of using a well-defined, guided rehabilitation protocol for a successful outcome after ACL surgery (Thomee, Wahrborg, & Borjesson, 2010). But there is more to rehabilitation than just taking the athlete through their exercise program. Working with the athletes mind plays a huge role in their work ethic and therefore, the overall outcome of their rehabilitation. The main cognitive skills I believe to be effective in a rehabilitation program are imagery, goal setting, and self-talk. With the use of these cognitive skills, I would be able to work closely with the athlete and get her back on the court with a healthy body as well as a healthy mind.
“Imagery, attention skills, and cognitive-control skills are increasingly used in training and rehabilitation” (Gill, 2008). Ievleva and Olick (1991) found that imagery helped athletes cope with pain, as well as stay motivated and positively involved in their sport and in the rehabilitation process. Being able to know what the athlete is thinking while they are rehabbing is important to me as an athletic trainer. In incorporating imagery in the rehab program, I am able to have some control and guidance as to how or what the athlete is thinking. I would make sure we practice imagery regularly so it is developed over the course of the rehabilitation program. I would also use triggers and cues to help with the athletes’ concentration when performing her exercise routine. Shaffer and Wiese-Bornstal (1999) suggest that imagery has several roles for injured athletes: “Imagery helps in reading the body and reactions to the injury, skill imagery helps in the practice of skills, and rehabilitation imagery helps in the healing process by promoting a positive mindset, keeping the athlete engaged in the rehabilitation process, and even influencing physiological function.”
Goal setting is another huge thing I can incorporate in the rehabilitation program. Having a strong background in volleyball, I can also personally relate to this particular athlete, which can help me establish specific challenging, but also realistic goals. One of the most consistent research findings is that specific goals enhance performance more than vague or no goals (Gill, 2008). Gill also suggests goals should be challenging but attainable. In a rehabilitation program, it is important to not only look at the big picture, or the main goal which is getting back into competition. But it is also important to recognize the little accomplishments and goals that are set throughout the program. Having both short and long term goals will help the athlete stay on track with her rehabilitation. The volleyball season is a minimum of 10 weeks long, so she still has the opportunity to compete in the current season. I believe this would be the ultimate goal for her at this time.
Self-talk is the final skill I would incorporate into this rehabilitation program. “Self-talk occurs whenever a person thinks—whether the self-talk is spoken aloud or silently—and makes perceptions and beliefs conscious” (Gill, 2008). This is a skill that most individuals already use, but it is also a skill that can be taught and practiced so it is used effectively in the rehabilitation setting. With this particular athlete I would make sure we focus on changing negative thoughts into positive ones. The way athletes react emotionally to an ACL injury appears to be closely connected to their rehabilitation behavior and clinical outcome, as well as their subjective well-being” (Thomee et al., 2010). When rehabbing an injury such as the ACL, there are going to be times of discouragement and negative thoughts because the athlete can not currently do what they used to be able to do. The focus would be to switch the negative thought to a positive, constructive one. Another similar focus would be to practice thought stopping: when the athlete has a negative or unwanted thought, they need to stop that thought and counter it with a positive one. An athletes’ use of self-talk has received considerable attention in that it has been reported to be used for motivational and cognitive benefits by athletes (Hardy, Gammage, & Hall, 2001).
In conclusion, I need to take many angles when working with a female volleyball athlete in the rehabilitation setting. It is more than just taking her through the physical exercises. As an athletic trainer, I need to use these cognitive strategies along with her exercise program in order to gain an optimal outcome in her rehabilitation program.
REFERENCES
Gill, D.L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological dynamics of sport and exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign , IL
Hardy, J., Gammage, K., & Hall, C (2001). A descriptive study of athlete self-talk. The sport Psychologist, 15, 306-318.
Ievleva, L., & Orlick, T. (1991). Mental links to enhanced healing: An exploratory study. The sport Psychologist, 5, 25-40.
Shaffer, S.M., & Wiese-Bjornstal, D.M. (1999). Psychological interventions in sports medicine. In R. Ray & D.M. Wiese-Bjornstal (Eds.), Counseling in sports medicine (pp. 41-54). Champaign , IL
Thomee, P. , Wahrborg, P. , Borjesson, M. , Thomee, R. , Eriksson, B. , et al. (2010). A randomized, controlled study of a rehabilitation model to improve knee-function self-efficacy with ACL injury. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 19(2), 200-213.
No comments:
Post a Comment