There is a vital link between injury and mental health, with research indicating that a serious injury can result in mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and even PTSD. One 2024 study published in the journal Sports Health has found that specific psychological responses to injuries can prolong recovery from musculoskeletal injuries, for instance. Moreover, mental disorders in athletes are linked to an increased injury risk, prolonged recovery times, decreased rates of return to sport, and reduced performance upon return. Of course, athletes aren’t the only ones affected by injuries, but the study indicates how much our mental and physical health are tied. It also shows that it is essential to break the cycle between injury and declining mental health.
The Impacts of Injury
Even the most seemingly mundane of injuries (think a sprained ankle or a torn rotator cuff incurred while carrying out daily tasks) can impact one’s physical abilities and mental well-being for months. For instance, a tear in the muscles or tendons that surround the shoulder joint can result in deep pain that can wake you from your sleep. Rehabilitation can take months, while in severe cases of injury, a procedure such as a reverse total shoulder replacement may be required. While interventions such as these improve movement and strength and reduce pain, the vast majority of surgical interventions require patience and a commitment to self-care and exercise. In other cases, injury may cause chronic pain. This might be the case, for instance, if one has experienced a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and some serious musculoskeletal injuries.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In addition to physical therapy, one of the treatments that can help protect your mental health if you have experienced an injury is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy highlights the powerful link between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
By reframing negative events and experiences into more positive ones, you can live a fuller life and set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals. Setting goals in therapy can help break down big goals (for instance, wishing to be pain-free) into smaller goals (for example, attending physical therapy twice a week, swimming once a week, and practicing mindfulness every day). Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you see things through a more positive lens and invites you to partake in behavioral “experiments,” which can, in turn, positively impact the way you think and feel about things. Therapists also utilized branches of CBT, including acceptance and commitment therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, both of which have a strong mindfulness component. These therapies are focused on accepting difficult life experiences (including pain) while committing to changing the things one can for the better.
Mindfulness-Based Therapies
Mindfulness has been found to help quell pain, reduce stress, and improve mood, making it a very useful tool during injury recovery. One study focused on athletes proved that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) led to increased pain tolerance and improved mood. Many of the core techniques practiced in MBSR sessions can be undertaken at home. These include mindfulness meditation, body scans, gentle yoga postures and stretches, mindful breathing, and walking meditation.
Another technique that is often used is loving-kindness meditation, which involves cultivating warm, compassionate thoughts toward oneself and others. You can easily find simple instructions for all these exercises online, as well as access numerous exercises on apps like Calm and Headspace. You can start, if you wish, with a simple box breathing exercise. To perform it, pay attention to your breath and inhale for four seconds, pause for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and then pause again for the same amount of time.
There is an undeniable connection between injury and physical and mental well-being. Two approaches that can help reduce pain, fight stress, and improve mood are cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapies. By enhancing mood and motivation, those with injuries can see a light at the end of the tunnel, even during the most difficult times.