Why I’m Researching Mental Health in Athletic Recovery

My main question: How can college athletic programs do a better job supporting athletes’ mental health when they’re coming back from injury?

This topic means a lot to me because I’ve lived through it for almost two full years. When I tore my ACL my senior year of high school, I thought the hard part would just be the surgery and rehab. But honestly, the hardest part has been not getting back to play yet after being so close each time and watching my dream of playing college sports slip away. I’ve had four surgeries now, and even though my body’s been through so much, the mental part has been the hardest. Watching other people play while I’m still rehabbing and sitting on the bench is hard. I miss that feeling of being confident on the field and scoring goals, but I also know that even when my body’s ready, my mind might still need time to catch up. The fear of getting hurt again is always there, and it’s something I think many athletes understand but don’t always talk about.

That’s why I wanted to research the mental side of recovery. One article I chose by Burland, Toonstra, and Howard (2019) said that “psychosocial factors relative to injury are important components of the rehabilitation process.” (Burland et al., 2019) Basically, they’re saying your mindset, how confident, motivated, or scared you are, actually plays a huge role in how well you recover. That made so much sense to me because when I was doubting myself, everything felt slower and harder. However, when I was motivated and believed I could get back, everything started clicking more.

They also mentioned that “fear of reinjury and kinesiophobia are commonly observed after ACL injury and can negatively influence return-to-sport outcomes”  (Burland et al., 2019). I related to this a lot because the fear of getting hurt again consumed my mind, especially when I am constantly getting hurt. It feels like my brain won’t let you go all out even if my body’s fine. I wish more coaches understood that side of it. You can be physically ready, but if you’re not mentally ready, you’re still not really ready.

Another article I picked was by Markolf, Jackson, McAllister, and Hame (2016), and they looked at why female athletes tear their ACLs more often than males. I learned it's not bad luck, it’s a mix of things like your anatomy, hormones, and how we move. But what I liked about this one was that it focused on prevention, and that's what I am trying to find because of how many girls tear their ACLs. They said “specific strength training programs can address landing as well as foot movements during cutting in basketball.” Basically, you can train smarter, not harder, to lower your risk.

This is so important in college sports because you literally never get a break. I don't know why prevention of injury, even if it's band work for fifteen minutes, and mental health sessions with a sports psychologist after training for fifteen minutes, aren't both part of the recovery process. We have physical trainers and rehab plans, but not enough people are asking athletes really how they’re doing mentally. Imagine if, during rehab from an injury, schools added short check-ins based on a player's level of confidence or fear about coming back, or had coaches who are trained to recognize when a player isn’t mentally ready yet. It would help so much.

This whole research project is personal for me. I’ve been the athlete sitting out, watching everyone else play, wondering if I’ll ever feel like myself again, which has been a lonely place to be. But now I see that God has put me through this because I am meant to help others and make a change in college athletics. I want this blog to be a space where athletes feel seen and supported through this stressful time, because recovery isn’t just about your body healing. It’s about your mindset and how you trust in yourself and the people around you.

If this post helps even one athlete feel less alone while they are rehabbing or coming back from an injury, then it’s worth it.

Sources:

Burland, J. P., Toonstra, J. L., & Howard, J. S. (2019). Psychosocial barriers after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A clinical review of factors influencing postoperative success. Sports health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6822210/ 

Markolf, K. L., Jackson, S. R., McAllister, D. R., & Hame, S. L. (2016). The female ACL: Why is it more prone to injury? Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4805849/