"It’s a real challenge, supporting concussed players. Physically and mentally”
This article is sourced from www.walesonline.co.uk/
Returning from injury is a physical and mental battle - and supporting players who are recovering from concussions can be particuarly challenging, a leading sports psychologist says.
James Davies
Professor Mellalieu has lectured in sports psychology for the last 21 years and worked within Welsh rugby for 16 of them.
He says enduring extended periods out of the game with an invisible injury with no timeline for a return, brings about a fresh set of psychological challenges.
Many players suffer concussion. One curently struggling is James Davies, brother of Jonathan, who has not played since Wales' Autumn Nations Cup victory over Georgia in November 2020.
"That’s (concussion) a very frustrating one because the nature of the injury itself means you can experience lots of psychological symptoms such as feel confused, anxious or frustrated," explained Professor Mellalieu.
"That can have an impact on your day to day mindset and overall mental health and wellbeing.
"It’s not like a knee ligament injury, for example, where you can predict roughly nine months of rehab. Recovery from concussion can range from as little as a few to 14 days to a number of months or longer.
"It’s a real challenge, supporting concussed players. Physically and mentally.
"When players face persistent challenges to their mental health and wellbeing during their injury rehabilitation, it can often be helpful to refer a player to a clinical psychologist so they can get treatment for potential clinical symptoms experienced.
"There’s a common phenomenon in relation to head injuries called post-concussion syndrome, where your anxieties aren’t caused by the concussion itself, they’re caused by your view of the injury... you become frustrated or anxious about the symptoms you are experiencing.
"You’re not angry or upset because of the concussion, you’re angry and upset about being concussed.
"If you’re a professional athlete, you’re likely to be a perfectionist because that’s what makes you good at your sport. You’re obsessive about things, your training, your performance, your recovery, you leave no stone unturned, and if you pick up a head injury (or any long-term injury) that doesn’t settle down, that obsessive side of you can almost be an Achilles heel. You can become frustrated and over analytical which can impact upon your mental health and wellbeing."
And Professor Mellalieu says, that ultimately medics work incredibly hard to ensure any player has the very best chance of returning to the pitch whatever their injury, it isn’t an exact science.
"Any member of staff – from the kit man through to the head coach – all of us have emotional bonds and investments in the players,” he said.
"It’s someone’s livelihood and you want them to come back safe and well and stronger than before.
As much as injury rehabilitation is a science, there is still an element of unpredictability. There are some things you can’t control when returning injured players.
"You can prepare an athlete as much as possible, physically and mentally, but sometimes re-injury does occur.
"It’s not an exact science. You work to get everything right to give the player the best possible chance to come through successfully.
"As soon as they get back on the field, there’s a lot of anxiety on the support staff side of things until they have come through that first game."
“You can become frustrated and over analytical which can impact upon your mental health and wellbeing.”