 We looked at the Physiological factors associated with injury… Can we you make sure ‘P3’ is completed and uploaded today.  Can you also make sure by the end of today’s lesson that ‘P4’ is near on completed and if attempting to ‘M2/D1’, that is also on it’s way to completion.

In February, 2010, during an Arsenal v Stoke match Aaron Ramsey fractured both his right tibia and fibula which required surgery. He experienced one of the worst possible injuries and faced months of gruelling physio and rehab. Put yourself in his shoes….Put yourself in his shoes…. How do you think he felt?....How do you think he felt?.... A ARON R AMSEY

Anger Anger – Aaron would have been very angry, maybe asking “Why me?” Anxiety Anxiety – Feelings of anxiety would be present with Aaron asking himself questions such as “Will I recover from this?” “Do I need surgery?” “Will I ever get back to full fitness & play at the same level?” Depression Depression – Aaron will no longer be experiencing the adrenalin rush and the feel good hormones of when playing football. This may cause feelings of depression. Frustration Frustration – Aaron may feel this out of boredom of rehab & being restricted to a timescales e.g. wanting to progress to running but his Physio/Surgeon not letting him until 3 months post injury shockdenial After the initial shock and denial of receiving the injury, Aaron would experience emotions of; How would you as the Physio combat these negative emotions? These emotions will vary depending on the individuals personality, playing status & degree of injury

P SYCHOLOGICAL R ESPONSES TO I NJURY Whilst completing physio and rehab you are removed from the normal training group. This can result in you feeling isolated from the group. Having social interaction with team mates and a support network from within the club can help reduce the stress of an injury and maintain group cohesion.

Anxiety Anxiety – fear of re-injury, fear of future prognosis e.g. arthritis in the future in he continue to play. Feelings of anxiety will be heightened if he has Trait Anxiety is a Type A personality Frustration Frustration – uncertainty of the timescale of return e.g. if his return to training date keeps getting put back, watching his team mates play in important games your missing out on Drop in Motivation Drop in Motivation – this may be caused by the return date to training seems so far away, he can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It would be the responsibility of the Physio and back room staff to raise his moral levels and keep him motivated. This could be helped by goal setting. Once the initial recovery from surgery was over Aaron faced the gruelling task of physio. He had the prospect of long days, weeks and months in rehab. He would have experienced emotions such as;

The Use of Goal Setting A way to improve motivation and enthusiasm would be to set Aaron goals & SMART targets. For example, rather than being told; “lets work towards getting match fit in 8 months” He may have been told; “lets work towards weight bearing in 6 weeks” Then, following that; “lets work towards running in 3 months” Having smaller, realistic and achievable goals would help boost motivation. Achieving a goal every few weeks would give Aaron a sense of accomplishment and boost his self confidence, giving him more motivation to work hard in the next phase of rehab. Being told on day 1 that he wouldn’t play a competitive game for 8 months, would have been devastating for Aaron. His motivation for Physio and regaining his strength would have started high but would more than likely have dropped after the initial phase of physio.

Think back to your last serious injury, if you have had one. If not, try to imagine a career threatening injury; think about all the emotions you would experience. Write a diary for an injured player identifying all the psychological responses that may occur. You could write multiple daily entries or create one weekly entry. To make sure you cover the grading criteria, ensure you include the following points; Emotions experienced o Anger o Anxiety o Depression o Frustration o Drop in Motivation/ response to treatment: · Isolation from team mates · Goal setting P4

To achieve the Merit and Distinction, write a letter to the coach explaining the physiological and psychological responses to injury (how and why they happen) and the importance of rest, recovery and the correct treatment. To push for the Distinction go into further detail and analyse what might happen if a player ignored the physiological and psychological signs and symptoms of injury. Use examples of professional athletes, with news reports or newspaper articles if possible.