The Effect of Psychological Factors on Athletic Injury and Recuperation

Abstract

In spite of the evident benefits of exercise on health, it is also an irrefutable fact that exercise and injury come together as well. Over a million injuries occur each year in the United States alone, and that only counts collegiate sports; should we factor in high school athletics, professional leagues, gyms and street athletes, the incidence rate would be astounding, affecting millions of Americans. Prior research shows that injury comes from training, more that from competition. It also shows that athletes keep on training in spite of their injuries because of the pressure to compete. This project shows that psychology plays a negative role in the rate and incidence of injury; but that a positive disposition on the part of the athlete goes on to contribute in the injured athlete’s recovery. Coaches and sports federations must address the psychological factors that adversely affect injury and positively affect recovery as much as they now focus on the medical aspects of injury and recovery.