Sports injury and stressor-related disorder in competitive athletes: a systematic review and a new framework

Abstract

Background For professional athletes, sports injury has been considered one of the most influential factors determining their athletic careers' duration and quality. High-intensity training and competitiveness of the sports competition are perhaps critical causes of sports-related stress. This article reviews the relevant research on sports injuries and stressor-related disorders. Further, it explores the following three issues in depth: (1) Do physical injuries caused by competitive sports lead to acute or posttraumatic stress disorder for athletes? What are the abnormal stress responses? (2) What diagnoses are currently available for sports injury related traumatic stress disorder? (3) What kinds of psychological rehabilitation are available for trauma-related symptoms in sports injury? How efficient are they in alleviating these symptoms? Methods The study searched electronic databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, etc. And reference lists of included papers were also screened. Two researchers selected the literature strictly according to the inclusion criteria and sorted them out. Based on the proved conclusions, the study established a new framework to manage traumatic stress disorders after the injury occurred. Results 16 articles were included in the study. (Q1: N = 10; Q2: N = 3; Q3: N = 3 ) The findings of this review suggested that athletes who suffer from sports injuries are more likely to experience abnormal physiological or psychological stress responses, which may become a massive challenge for athletes to continue their sports careers at a competitive level. However, there is a minimal understanding of addressing sports injury-related traumatic stress disorder from a biological perspective. Thus, it is challenging to build a scientific basis for diagnosis, screening, and treatment. In addition, the current diagnostic tool for athletes stress disorder still heavily relies on subjective measurement, and the treatment plan is not different from that of the general population. Conclusions It highlighted that sports-related stress disorder could be the greatest challenge to return to competition for injured athletes. The present study indicated the importance of systematically identifying the symptoms of sports-related stress disorder and improving the current diagnosis and treatment system.

A Single-Session Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy Reduces Anxiety and Improves Self-confidence in Athletes with Post-traumatic Stress Associated with Injury

“…The application of EMDR therapy has been shown to reduce symptoms associated with PSTD and other traumarelated mental disorders such as injury (1,6), as well as possible blocks associated with these traumas (5) and poor sports performance (17). Also, the increased levels of precompetitive anxiety related to a stressor can be improved through the use of EMDR (34).…”

“…In the same line, the perception of self-confidence for both, intensity and direction values of the CSAI-2RD increased. According to the literature, EMDR is considered a feasibly effective treatment to manage this type of problems (1). Has a mechanism to evoke repeated reprocessing of the information associated with the traumatic memory from a controlled perspective through the acceleration of nerve conduction, helping to adaptively reduce the LnrMSSD 21/76/3 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 0/9/91 100/0/0 100/0/0 0/0/100 Most likely LnSS 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 100/0/0 99/1/0 41/58/1 0/0/100 0/5/95 0/0/100 100/0/0 Most likely LnLF-HRV 100/0/0 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 0/0/100 Most likely LnHF-HRV 0/0/100 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 100/0/0 0/0/100 100/0/0 Most likely…”

“…Following the conclusions of the recent literature reviews by Miller-Aron et al (6) and Yang et al (1), there is a high incidence of problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder or stressful events among elite athletes, which generates the need to intervene to help them to adequately manage their emotions and behavioral responses through more effective techniques or therapies. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the EMDR therapy effect in the psychophysiological responses of four athletes with stress related to a traumatic event during sports practice.…”

“…When these are perceived as negative and occur with great intensity (e.g., injuries, failures, etc. ), the athlete can be emotionally affected and even develop psychological effects related to a trauma because of a stressful situation which can trigger a post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) (1). Post-traumatic stress disorder is a chronic con-dition that includes psychophysiological symptoms such as hyperarousal, dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, mood states and negative cognitions, associated with intrusive re-experiencing of the traumatic event (2).…”

“…The use of EMDR in athletes has been reported in the literature as a treatment model to attenuate PTSD symptoms associated to an injury (1,11), as well as to reduce negative symptoms related to stress disorders (6,12,13), maltreatment in sport (14), and to strengthen coping skills for managing negative emotions (15) and overcoming mental blocks that affect performance (5,16). In addition, the efficacy of the use of this treatment has been reported for the accomplishment of peak athletic performance (17).…”