CIP #7: Select and integrate appropriate psychosocial techniques...
into a patient's treatment or rehabilitation program to enhance rehabilitation adherence, return to play, and overall outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to, verbal motivation, goal setting, imagery, pain management, self-talk, and/or relaxation.
into a patient's treatment or rehabilitation program to enhance rehabilitation adherence, return to play, and overall outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to, verbal motivation, goal setting, imagery, pain management, self-talk, and/or relaxation.
Reoccurring Injuries
An athlete comes into the ATR fairly regularly with seemingly no cause of injury. We evaluate several times while doing conservative treatment to calm down his shoulder pain. This athlete admits that he has a little bit of pain here and there and most frequently comes in because he is nervous that the small amounts of discomfort he has been experiencing the past couple of weeks is because he was hurt last year and wanted to make sure it doesn't happen again.
This athlete continues to come in day after day on a very consistent basis to prevent this injury from happening, but through treatment he wasn't making any transition to getting off of the injury report. In efforts to help this athlete both mentally and physically we set up a plan to help encourage him to not rely on treatments every day to get him mentally through practice:
This athlete continues to come in day after day on a very consistent basis to prevent this injury from happening, but through treatment he wasn't making any transition to getting off of the injury report. In efforts to help this athlete both mentally and physically we set up a plan to help encourage him to not rely on treatments every day to get him mentally through practice:
[Pain Management]
The first technique I used on my athlete was managing his pain. My thought process was that if I could calm down or prevent any shoulder pain he was experiencing then we could get him on a track to physically feeling confident about playing. Once he physically started to feel better I could then implement more strenuous exercises and develop a more aggressive treatment to get this athlete feeling mentally tougher and more confident.
The first technique I used on my athlete was managing his pain. My thought process was that if I could calm down or prevent any shoulder pain he was experiencing then we could get him on a track to physically feeling confident about playing. Once he physically started to feel better I could then implement more strenuous exercises and develop a more aggressive treatment to get this athlete feeling mentally tougher and more confident.
[Goal Setting]
This technique could be implemented by involving an athlete in their own treatment and making it more purposeful. If an athlete knows why they are doing certain rehab exercises and why they are completing certain treatments it may help them understand what is going on in their own body. Once they know what is going on and why they are doing certain things to improve strength, stability, or flexibility they are likely to be more confident once they start transitioning out of daily treatments. If they can do less treatments just to do "something" and do 2-3 treatments a week that have purpose, then the athlete is going to develop better mentally during the transition.
Examples:
-"What are you looking to get out of our treatment session"
-"What do you do in the ATR that makes you more confident out on the field"
-"What do you want to accomplish in a week? month? this sports season"
This technique could be implemented by involving an athlete in their own treatment and making it more purposeful. If an athlete knows why they are doing certain rehab exercises and why they are completing certain treatments it may help them understand what is going on in their own body. Once they know what is going on and why they are doing certain things to improve strength, stability, or flexibility they are likely to be more confident once they start transitioning out of daily treatments. If they can do less treatments just to do "something" and do 2-3 treatments a week that have purpose, then the athlete is going to develop better mentally during the transition.
Examples:
-"What are you looking to get out of our treatment session"
-"What do you do in the ATR that makes you more confident out on the field"
-"What do you want to accomplish in a week? month? this sports season"
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[Verbal Motivation]
I demonstrated verbal motivation to my athlete by verbalizing how much improvement they were making in the athletic training room in order to get their confidence up. As a clinician being more involved with your patient than writing rehab after rehab is important in gaining an athletes respect. If an athlete feels like they are an important part of their own rehab and you are utilizing their time well they are more likely to be productive in the ATR.
Examples:
-"Your range of motion has gotten a lot better!"
-"I can tell that your form has really improved."
I demonstrated verbal motivation to my athlete by verbalizing how much improvement they were making in the athletic training room in order to get their confidence up. As a clinician being more involved with your patient than writing rehab after rehab is important in gaining an athletes respect. If an athlete feels like they are an important part of their own rehab and you are utilizing their time well they are more likely to be productive in the ATR.
Examples:
-"Your range of motion has gotten a lot better!"
-"I can tell that your form has really improved."