A growing body of evidence [1] suggests that psychological factors play an important role in determining whether an athlete makes a successful return to sport following injury.[1]
In my physical therapy practice, one of the first things I assess is the psychological well-being of the injured athlete, ranging from how they respond to questions, eye contact, body posture, and attitude, to whether they fidget with their hands or feet, and how they respond to their parents, [2] who are usually just trying to be helpful.
Particularly with athletes with chronic injuries, I will spend more time making them believe they have the power to get better than actually doing the manual techniques, exercises, and modalities that have been shown to improve healing.
With children it is far more important than just healing a body part, it is supporting a positive attitude. I have had young athletes with lower back pain at just 12 or 13 years old tell me, "I just have a bad back." That is what 80 year war vets say, not children! If this is what they believe, that their back will always hurt, it is far more important to address that concern than just getting them well enough physically to return to sport, because if you don't, you are setting the child up for whole lifetime of pain.
To help your injuried athlete be psychologically ready to return to sports, I suggests to parents that they:
1. Ardern CL, Taylor NF, Feller JA, Webster KE. A systematic review of the psychological factors associated with returning to sport following injury. Br J Sports Med. 2013;47:1120-1126.
Posted October 30, 2013 Updated April 6, 2015
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/node/6804
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/node/2885
[3] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/injury-treatment/physical-therapy/psychological-factors-play-important-role-in-success
[4] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/return-to-sports-psychological-readiness-as-important-as-physical-readiness
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/physical-therapy-injured-athletes-advice-parents