PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF INJURY
How does prolonged injury affect a keen athlete? How does pain affect a person's mind? How can this be turned round into a strength? How can you develop a lifestyle which maintains the balance of your mind should you have an injury, and is also more than useful to you if you stay healthy?
Darren Campbell
I found a piece in a free daily newspapers called the 'Metro' given away on the buses in the city where I live. Very interesting, I thought, as I read it. The Sydney Olympic Games silver medallist and Manchester Commonwealth Games 100 metres bronze medallist Darren Campbell was injured for two years between the two games. In what the article describes as a nightmare and horrendous run of injuries and poor form Campbell is quoted as saying "I've been down a very dark road. I love what I do and when that was taken away I don't think people fully appreciated what it did to me. It almost took away my life." It resulted in him separating form his girlfriend and mother of his child (although they are now back together again) because he was "emotionally very down". He considered suicide as a means of escaping the despair.
Would you like to be like that?
Whilst Darren Campbell said "To go out there and give such a good performance after what I've been through is pretty satisfying." having done something similar myself when I was a young 18-year old, I am still left with the wish that prevention of my injuries would have been much better than the cure with all it attendant depressing and frustrating disappointments, all the excruciating pain, which in the final analysis was both unnecessary and all my own fault.
Obviously you should seek the best medical advice and treatment possible. As I am not qualified to talk about this side of injury I will leave it to the medics. However, in my article this month I would like to explore what goes on in the mind of an injured athlete who is in a lot of pain, and how this can be coped with, and please remember that much of this applies to fit and well athletes too.
Psychology of painful injury and illness
Do athletes invest a lot of themselves in training and competing? If so, what effect will this have on them if they are injured and cannot train or compete? Here are some questions so that you can think about the psychological impact of painful injury.
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