Psychology of Sport Injury

From a gymnast hiding ankle pain so she can compete to a basketball player who withdraws from friends after a season-ending injury, it can be argued that every sport injury affects or is affected in some way by psychological factors. Given the widespread importance of psychological issues in sport injury, it is important for those working with athletes—injured or not—to be aware of the latest developments on the subject.

Written by a sport psychology consultant and an athletic trainer, Psychology of Sport Injury provides a thorough explanation of the elements and effects of sport injuries along with up-to-date research and insights for practical application. The authors offer a contemporary approach to preventing, treating, rehabilitating, and communicating professionally about sport injuries that takes into account physical, psychological, and social factors.

Psychology of Sport Injury presents sport injury within a broader context of public health and offers insights into the many areas in which psychology may affect athletes, such as risk culture, the many facets of pain, athlete adherence to rehab regimens, the relationship between psychological factors and clinical outcomes, collaboration, and referrals for additional support. The book explores the relevant biological, psychological, and social factors that affect given circumstances. The text consists of four parts: Understanding and Preventing Sport Injuries, Consequences of Sport Injury, Rehabilitation of Sport Injury, and Communication in Sport Injury Management.

Psychology of Sport Injury includes evidence-based examples and demonstrates real-world applications that sport health care professionals often face with athletes. Additional pedagogical features include the following:

• Focus on Research boxes provide the what and why of the latest research to complement the applied approach of the text.

• Focus on Application boxes highlight practical examples to illustrate the material and maintain student engagement.

• Psychosocial content aligned with the latest educational competencies of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) helps students prepare for athletic training examinations and supports professional development for practitioners.

• A prevention-to-rehabilitation approach gives a framework for understanding sport injury, including precursors to injury, pain as a complex phenomenon, adherence to rehabilitation, and communication and management of injuries with other health care professionals as well as the athlete.

• A set of chapter quizzes and a presentation package aid instructors in testing student comprehension and preparing lectures.

Psychology of Sport Injury is an educational tool, reference text, and springboard to new ideas for research and practice in any line of work exposed to sport injury. Observing and committing to athletes, especially during times of physical trauma and emotional distress (which are often not separate times), are critical skills for athletic trainers, physical therapists, sport psychologists, coaches, and others who work with athletes on a regular basis.

Britton W. Brewer, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Springfield College, where he has taught graduate and undergraduate classes and conducted research on psychological aspects of sport injury since 1991. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and a certified consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. He has edited four books on sport psychology, authored or coauthored more than 100 articles in refereed journals (approximately 40 percent of which are on topics related to the psychology of sport injury), and authored or coauthored 28 book chapters (more than half of which are on topics related to the psychology of sport injury). He has been awarded more than $1,000,000 in grant funding from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for his research on psychological aspects of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery and has received research awards from Divisions 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) and 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.

Charles J. Redmond, MS, MEd, ATC, LAT, PT, is professor emeritus of exercise science and sport studies and retired dean of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Springfield College, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1969. He has extensive clinical, teaching, and administrative experience in athletic training and has served in multiple leadership positions in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. He received the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the NATA in 1994 and was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 2004. He has also been inducted into the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts Hall of Fame and the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame. He served on the editorial advisory board of Athletic Therapy Today from 1995 to 2005, during which he was theme editor for issues such as eating and exercise disorders, psychosocial factors and athletic therapy, and advances in the management of patellofemoral pain. He has given presentations and conducted workshops on a variety of topics in sport health care, including the psychology of sport injury.

“This text clearly fills a need. As injury management has become more evidence-based from a physical standpoint, more information to address the psychological aspects of injury are needed to complement this approach.”

—Kent Scriber, EdD, ATC, PT, FNATA-- Ithaca College