We all know injuries can be difficult physically, but have you thought about the psychological side?
With a long term rehab, there is a great amount of focus on the physical side.
How strong can you get?
How quickly can you express that force?
How well you can move?
However, what often goes unmentioned is the psychological side of rehab, this is the side many have struggles with.
Often we see people surprised with how much of a mental toll a rehab such as an ACL can take on someone.
And this matters.
4 (actionable) Tips to Deal with the Mental Side of Rehab
As some of our community members may know I am currently in the middle of rehabbing my second ACL reconstruction. One of the toughest and often unspoken truths surrounding ACL rehabilitation is dealing with the psychological side of rehab. So often, everyone in your corner’s main focus is on how you are going physically.
Coaches, team mates and health professionals constantly wanting to know where you’re up to, testing your physical capacity and going through physical performances.
But, what about the hidden side behind every ACL rehab?
The Hidden Side of Rehab.
Until you undergo a long-term rehab yourself, no one truly knows how much of a rollercoaster ride it can be. You are constantly riding the bumps of highs and lows both physically and psychologically. Learning how to walk, run and play your sport again; ACL rehab is a long, and at times draining process. Motivation comes and goes; psychological fatigue can quickly set in and at times the end feels unreachable. This is normal. The solution is finding ways to mitigate and overcome these feelings to stay on track and reach your ultimate goal.
Why should we care?
Research shows that psychological factors are predictive of ACL reconstruction outcomes. Factors such as self-motivation, social support, athletic self-identity, and confidence play a huge role in a successful rehab and can directly impact return to sport outcomes.
Here are my top tips to managing the mental side of rehab:
1. Staying connected with your team and sport:
Rehab can be lonely. Countless hours spent in the gym or on the track by yourself is hard work. Getting down to training and watching your team play provides you with a great social outlet and keeps you feeling involved with your team and sport. As well, it gives you constant motivation to keep going with your rehab and get back to the game you love.
2. De-load weeks:
Don’t neglect de-load weeks!
A De-load week is when we reduce our training for a week after an intensive block of training so that we can push ourselves again in the next block of training.
We often focus on what more we can do in rehab. When in reality at times we need to allow ourselves a period of rest or reduced training volume. De-loading allows us a crucial mental and physical break from the high demands of rehab. This is important in reducing mental fatigue, stress and loss of motivation. Appropriately timed de-load weeks will allow you to stay energised, excited and mentally fit for rehab, ultimately leading to better training performance.
3. Regularly measure your progress:
You can do this in a variety of different ways.
Look at your testing scores, progress photos or reflect on the different phases of rehab that you’re moving through. However, if you’re measuring progress, it can be super rewarding to see how far you have come and give you that extra motivation to keep pushing yourself through rehab.
4. Trusting your team:
Having a good rehab team around you is key to a successful outcome. Being able to trust your health professionals, having a clear program and being educated about the process takes the unknown out of the equation. It provides you with confidence and drive that you’re going to meet your end goals all whilst taking the stress out of the journey.
To wrap it up, the nature and longevity of ACL rehabilitation can be mentally challenging. To those out there struggling with motivation, know you are not alone.
Sometimes all it takes is a short period of rest to recharge, reflecting on how far you have come and re-connecting with your team to fuel that fire to keep going :)
Reference List:
- Everthart JS, Best TM, Flanigan DC. Psychological predictors of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction outcomes: a systematic review. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy volume 23, pages752–762 (2015).
- Brewer BW, Van Raalte JL, Cornelius AE, Petitpas AJ, Sklar JH, Pohlman MH, Krushell RJ, Ditmar TD. Psychological factors, rehabilitation adherence, and rehabilitation outcome after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45(1), 20–37 (2000).