Influencia de los factores psicológicos en el proceso de rehabilitación de lesiones deportivasintervención psicológica y vuelta a la práctica (RTP)

Abstract

In professional sport, sports injury can be considered as an inherent fact of sport, with a negative character for the sportsman or woman who suffers it and the people around him. In this line, the existing scientific literature shows the great importance that psychological factors have, both in the risk of injury and in the rehabilitation process of injuries. These are related to the perception of pain and the adherence of injured athletes to the rehabilitation program and will affect the process of returning to sports practice (RTP) after the injury. Thus, the increase in the number of sports injury in athletes and the importance of their correct recovery to reach pre-injury performance levels make it necessary to know all the factors involved in this process, among which psychological factors are of notable importance. Therefore, and with the purpose of knowing which are the psychological factors that mediate in the rehabilitation process of sports injuries and will affect their adherence and correct RTP, this research has the following objectives: 1. To determine whether psychological intervention programs are being carried out during the injured athlete's rehabilitation process and to know what type of programs are applied and how effective they are in rehabilitating the injured athlete. 2. To know and determine what psychological aspects are directly affecting the perception of pain and the therefore the rehabilitation process of the injure athlete. 3. To know the most important psychological aspects associated with the return to sport after injury. 4. To determine the relationship between the subjective psychological disposition of the athlete on returning to sports practice and his/her performance and the probability of suffering recurrence. To this end, four studies were carried out, each of which responds to the objectives set. Specifically, two review studies and two empirical studies. The results showed that: 1. Few studies have aimed at applying a psychological training program in the rehabilitation process of an injured athlete. The most widely used and effective psychological technique was visualization, followed by goal setting. The results showed the effectiveness of the psychological programs used. 2. Psychological factors such as catastrophism and rumination were directly related to the injured athlete's perception of pain in the rehabilitation process. Likewise, it was observed that the perception of pain decreased as the rehabilitation process progressed. 3. The systematic review carried out confirmed the importance of mental preparation in the correct RTP and the time needed for its reincorporation. The results showed that time spent in rehabilitation as well as early withdrawal from sports activity after sports injury were determinant for correct RTP. Psychological variables to be taken into account for a proper RTP were: perception of social and family support received; fear of a new injury (recurrence) and its associated pain; sports level prior to the injury and; psychological willingness to return to play. 4. Finally, the results showed that the adequate subjective psychological disposition of the athlete who has just overcome a sports injury, added to an optimal state of coping with competition and training (iceberg profile) and adequate mental health indicators were sufficient to determine whether the athlete resumed sports practice at the right time, and therefore predict the risk of possible recurrences.