Sports injuries are a major issue in athletics, and many of them seem to happen randomly. However, some sports injuries are avoidable, as psychological factors can lead to an increased injury rate. One study investigated the use of a program teaching athletes about the link between psychological stress and physical injuries (Olmedilla-Zafra et al., 2017). This article will briefly present that study.
Methods
The participants in this study consisted of 63 male soccer players between 17 and 19 years old from four youth teams in Spain. Of these participants, 35 were assigned to the treatment group (two teams) while 28 were assigned to the control group (two teams). The players in the control group were informed about the relationship between psychological skills and performance in a one-day talk.
Meanwhile, the players in the treatment group took part in a program that consisted of one-hour sessions once a week for three months. The program was based on Stress Inoculation Therapy and was administered by clinical psychologists with sports psychology experience. The program consisted of the following:
- Linking thoughts and emotions
- Progressive muscle relaxation, breathing, imagery, and passive and differential muscle relaxation
- Self-instructional and attention-focus training
- Stress inoculation training
Upon completion of the program, the following data were collected from athletes:
- Self-reported data about the program-related skills they had trained in
- A seven-point Likert scale survey asking about the following:
- Satisfaction regarding program delivery
- Perceived utility of the fact to face sessions
- Utility of the cards uses
- Quality of the communication with the psychologists
- Perceptions about the psychological techniques learned (relaxation, visualization, and goal setting)
- Perceptions about their improvement in the skills taught and their ability to be generalized
- Overall satisfaction with the program
In addition, the coaches of the players were asked about the following:
- Whether the program interfered with their training
- Whether they felt the program had positively or negatively affected their players’ performance
- Their willingness to promote such programs in the future
To track injuries, a previously established injury protocol was used. An injury was defined as “any physical complaint sustained by an athlete during a competition or training directly related to the sport, which resulted in at least one day of restricted participation”. The following information was tracked for the three months prior to the program as well as six more months starting with the administration of the program:
- Injury location
- Diagnosis
- Severity (based on number of days restricted)
- How the injury was sustained
- Injury cause (according to athlete himself)
Results
The following results were obtained:
- In the three months prior to the administration of the program, players in both the control group and the treatment group suffered the same numbers of injuries.
- In the six months after the program began, players in the treatment group suffered significantly fewer injuries than those in the control group.
- There were no significant differences in the number of injuries during both periods for the control group.
- However, players in the treatment group showed significantly fewer injuries starting with the administration of the program.
- Both players and coaches in the treatment group were satisfied with the program.
Ultimately, the treatment program was acceptable to both the players and their coaches, and it appeared to significantly reduce the numbers of injuries suffered by the players.
Wrapping up
The results of this study show that a program educating youth soccer players on the relationship between stress and physical injuries can reduce the numbers of injuries suffered by those players. In addition, this program can be administered in a way that is not disruptive to the players’ training, meaning it can easily be implemented in teams. The link between psychological stress and physical harm is particularly relevant in sports, so research should continue examining this relationship.
References
Olmedilla-Zafra, A., Rubio, V.J., Ortega, E., García-Mas, A. (2017). Effectiveness of a Stress Management Pilot Program Aimed at Reducing the Incidence of Sports Injuries in Young Football (Soccer) Players. Physical Therapy in Sport, 24(1), 53-59. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.09.003.
