Name: Richard Ogunyemi

M1: Analyse the Link Between the Way in Which a Sports

Introduction
When an injury occurs, there are different physiological and psychological
effects it will have on an athlete. Following a possible life-changing injury or a
severe injury, athletes can suffer from a whole host of psychological problems which
will not go away without the help and support of a professional, as it can have a
significant impact on an athlete mentally as well as physically. Athletes tend to have
an “it won’t happen to me” mentality where statistics on certain severe injuries (which
can be either acute or chronic) only affect other people, but the sad fact is that anyone
can find themselves in a position they never thought they would be in, and if that
happens, it can take a huge toll on their mental health. Injuries really do test the mental
strength of athletes as for some near the end of the career might question whether
they can ever make a full recovery and play at the same level they used to – some
might consider quitting because they might feel discouraged, isolated, frustrated or
even depressed, but this also includes young athletes at the start of their career
having to retire due to an injury of some sort. On the other hand, the physiological
effects of an injury include various symptoms like pain, stress, tenderness, and
soreness that the body of the athletes' body goes through because when the pain
does get to a certain point that it is unbearable and unreversible, retirement is most
likely necessary.

Chronic Injuries
A chronic injury is an injury that is developed over time due to overusing, overtraining,
or overloading one body area for a long time. In the scenario of the runner training for
the London Marathon and then develops shin splints due to overtraining the
psychological effects could include frustration at themselves for getting shin splints
which would be their fault mainly because they did not allow themself sufficient rest
Name: Richard Ogunyemi

which they would have been doing for a long time. Some athletes could easily blame
themselves and get frustrated as they would feel that they should have known what
they are doing wrong, especially because they are an athlete who are usually
considered as the ‘best in the world’ so they should not have been making such an
avoidable mistake for so long. Eventually their frustration might lead to having a
‘what's the point?’ mindset (otherwise known as a lack of confidence) where they just
give up and do not try their best to get back to the level they were competing at pre-
injury because they would feel like they let themselves down by getting injured,
however for others their frustration at themselves might push them even harder to
get back on track and motivate them to do everything in their power to either reach
the level they were at before or even surpass it.

On the other hand, the physiological effects of this scenario (shin splints) include
tenderness, soreness, or pain along the inner side of the shinbone, mild swelling in
the lower leg, pain that develops during exercise, muscle pain. Numbness and
weakness in the feet. If you continue to run or play sports without letting your legs
heal, shin splints can progress into a stress fracture. A stress fracture occurs when
little cracks form in your bone.

Acute Injuries
Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma, such as a fall, twist, or blow to the body.

In the scenario of a poor tackle during a football match resulting in a broken leg due
to the collision, a physiological effect of this is that there would be immediate pain
and deformity. This would occur straight away when contact was made by the
opposition. Another common effect is bruising; bruising can be due to blood under
the skin. Another common response to a broken bone is muscle spasm. The
involuntary tightening of the muscles around the broken bone to immobilise the area
can lead to increased pain and discomfort. Other physiological responses of the body
to a broken bone are swelling. Conversely, the psychological effects of a broken bone
can lead to depression and anxiety. They may also be common features in many
people following the fracture of a bone. These states might signify that going back to
normal life may be difficult or quality of life is hampered. A broken bone is an injury
that also takes long to heal and because of this their depression and anxiety may
intensify at various points whenever they recall what happened and how it happened.
The fact that it is not also this athlete's fault is another intensifier because they know
Name: Richard Ogunyemi

it was not anything they did, but someone else who simply just made a poor tackle on
them, this could cause a build-up of anger within them. Their depression might also
then cause them to lose all their self-esteem and make them feal fragile and weak.
The athlete might develop a lack of confidence during future competitions, especially
tackles as they would remember what happened the last time, they got injured again
which can prevent them from reaching the level thy had previously played at prior to
the injury because of the feeling of PTSD. A real-life example of how injury can affect
both the psychological and physiological state of athletes, an example of this is Ben
Collett is the youngest professional player to have retired due to injury. Retiring at the
age of 18, Collett suffered a double leg fracture following a rough tackle by Gary Smith
against Middlesbrough in 2003. Keep in mind that he did try to make a comeback to
try and play football again, but the damage to his right leg was to grave, this just
highlights both the psychological and physiological turmoil he would have gone
through during his rehabilitation program of deciding whether it was really worth it or
if it was even possible to make a comeback.

Conclusion
Overall, the psychological and physiological effects of an injury take a massive toll
on the athletes’, both mind and body. The physiological effects of an injury are
mainly to do with what and how the body suffers when an injury occurs and how
long it can take to recover and delves into both the permanent and temporary
changes the body might go through during the rehabilitation process. On the other
hand, the psychological effect of an injury suggests what athletes go through
mentally, when an injury occurs. When athletes get injured, they are put under a lot
of pressure from coaches, fans, teammates and even family members all these can
lead to them into feeling powerless which can then cause them to self-doubt which
can be particularly damaging, especially for athletes who have built their whole life
around their sporting ability. Feelings of anxiety, fear of re-injury, frustration,
depression and anger might creep up. Some athletes may also feel isolated and
lonely which might lead to more emotional responses such as sadness, irritation,
lack of motivation, anger, frustration, changes in appetite, sleep disturbance, and
disengagement. However, with good professional help athletes can be aided in both
the psychological and physiological aspects of their injury.
Name: Richard Ogunyemi

Bibliography
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tendinitis/symptoms-
causes/syc-20378243
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17467-shin-splints
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sprains-strains-and-
other-soft-tissue-
injuries/#:~:text=Acute%20injuries%20are%20caused%20by,sprains%2C%2
0strains%2C%20and%20contusions.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12051-acute-vs-chronic-pain
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sports-injuries
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-ligament-3120393