The Mental Impact of Sports Injury

The Mental Impact of Sports Injury bridges the gap between academic research and practical settings in an easy to follow guide to the psychology of sports injury. It outlines key considerations such as risk, rehabilitation, and prevention across all levels. The fundamentals of injury psychology and emerging areas are discussed.

Carly D. McKay, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Injury Prevention at the University of Bath, United Kingdom.

1. Introduction (What Have I Gotten Myself Into?) 2. Theoretical Models and How to Read Their Instructions (Flat Pack Psychology) 3. The Myth of the Injury-prone Athlete (It's Not Just about Personality After All) 4. The Link between Stress and Sports Injury ("I Didn't See It Coming") 5. Stress, Coping, and the Missing Link in Training Load (Camel, Meet Straw) 6. Exploring the Complexities of Pain (Why It Isn't "All in Your Head") 7. How Injury Can Be a Positive Thing (Some People Are Just Good at Everything) 8. Why Injury Isn't Generally a Positive Thing (Most People Have to Play the Cards They're Dealt) 9. Technology and Injury (Living in the Iron(man) Age) 10. Navigating Team Dynamics throughout the Injury Process ("Family" Values in a Sport Environment) 11. How Sport Culture and Commodification Influence Injury Experiences (Another One Bites the Dust) 12. When Injuries Lead to Retirement (Calling it a Day) 13. Can We Convince People that Prevention is Important? (But Broccoli is Good for You) 14. Learning from Marketing Giants to Sell Athlete Health (What if Prevention Had a Slogan?) 15. Injury Psychology and Young Athletes (Choosing from the Kids' Menu) 16. Injury Psychology and Para Athletes (Same Same, But Different) 17. Conclusion (Where Do We Go from Here?)