We illustrate the best ways to come back from injury,
Harness the science of resilience to outsmart any injury – and bounce back faster if one strikes
WHEN YOU PICK UP AN INJURY, it becomes all too easy to complain about it to anyone who will listen. But research shows that your mental state actually plays a role in whether you’re at higher risk for chronic injury – and how well you’ll recover.
In a 2013 study, researchers looked at athletes who had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery, and were able to predict with 70 per cent accuracy those who would make a full comeback within a year. How? By identifying key psychological-outlook factors such as mental readiness and sense of control. In a separate review of 11 studies, scientists found that emotions such as fear and doubt prevented injured athletes from quickly returning to training, while those who were confident – despite performing worse than usual – were more likely to make a swift comeback.
‘Emotions can impact your behaviour and physical healing,’ says Les Podlog, an educational sports psychologist and researcher at the University of Utah, US. ‘If you’re stressed, for instance, that’s going to impact blood flow to the injured limb. And when you’re injured, you need blood flow to promote recovery.’
That’s not the only time your mindset matters, either. In a 2015 study on injury risk, researchers analysed 278 runners, some injured, some not: they found that those who frequently faulted themselves for not being tough enough were more likely to get hurt the following year – a fact that mattered more than how many miles they ran.
Luckily, there’s a way to actually think yourself out of a gloomy outlook. It’s called a resilience-boosting psychological skill set, and developing it can improve physical healing and emotional wellbeing, says mentalskills coach Carrie Jackson-cheadle.
The following tips can help shift your outlook, so that if injury strikes, you’ll increase your odds of recovering more quickly and, perhaps, running faster then ever.