Return To Sport

As was done previously, common themes and ideas were grouped together during data analysis and then were examined. The findings for the study were grouped into four higher order themes: injury stress, coping strategies, experiences with social support, and recovery outcomes (Podlog, Wadey, Stark, et. al., 2013, p. 441). Injury stress, in particular, was defined as “a range of stressors and strain responses reported by the adolescents across the recovery time” (Podlog, Wadey, Stark, et. al., 2013, p. 441). One of the most commonly cited injury stressors was that many of the athletes reported physical pain associated with the injury occurrence that continued throughout the rehabilitation and return to sport (Podlog, Wadey, Stark, et. al., 2013,

These attributes were: confidence in returning to sport, realistic expectations of one’s sporting capabilities, and motivation to regain previous performance standards (Podlog, Banham, et. al., 2015, p. 5). Of these attributes the most important one described by the participants was confidence in returning to sport. Participants posited that confidence to return to his or her sport involved: a belief in the efficacy of one’s rehabilitation program, a belief that one’s formerly injured body part was fully healed, and efficacy in one’s performance capabilities (Podlog, Banham, et. al., 2015, p. 5). All of these beliefs turned out to be key elements of reflecting how confident an athlete was in his or her return to sport. Overall, findings from this particular study proved that confidence was a key component of psychological readiness to return to a sport after an

It was hypothesized that athletes would experience a decrease in confidence and an increase in anxiety of re-injury after suffering from a serious injury. As the results of the articles confirmed in most cases this hypothesis was true. Following injury athletes did experience a lack of confidence in their abilities to play and an increase in anxiety toward re-injury. According to Podlog’s research several athletes reported that “their confidence was lower than it had been before their injury” (Podlog & Eklund, 2005, p. 21). However, these same athletes reported that over time they regained their confidence in their injured body part and their ability to play. Participants in Podlog’s studies also stated that they experienced an increase fear of re-injury and injury (Podlog & Eklund, 2005, p. 21). As with a return in confidence, over time the athletes’ anxiety and fear of re-injury also eventually