Psychological experiences of athletes returning to competition following knee ligament injury: A comparison between contact and non-contact athletes.
Author
Jenkins, David
Date
2014Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The aim of the study was to examine the psychological experiences athletes faced when
returning to competition following a knee ligament injury in addition to making a
comparison between contact and non-contact athletes. The main focus of the study was
on athletes’ return to competition and a self-determination perspective was adopted. This
research was conducted using a qualitative design and a semi-structured interview was
used to collect the data. The sample consisted of eight athletes (n=4 contact and n=4 noncontact).
To analyse the data, content analysis was initially used, followed by cross case
analysis to identify differences between the groups. The research found that athletes in
both, contact and non-contact sports had concerns about their competence, autonomy and
relatedness when returning from injury. Specifically, the key thoughts that were
experienced by the athletes were re-injury anxiety, fears of not returning to pre-injury
levels and not reaching set goals. Additionally social support and the choice of when to
return to sport were key areas that the athletes mentioned. The key difference found
between the two groups concerned the fear of re-injury. Contact athletes feared a collision
with their injured body part while non-contact athletes were concerned with the structural
and functional aspects of the body part. These results underline the importance of
satisfying the three basic needs of self-determination theory to gain positive return to sport
outcomes.
Description
DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS)
SPORT AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
DIFFERENCES IN LOWER EXTREMITY MECHANICS OF ACL RECONSTRUCTED AND NON-INJURED RUGBY UNION PLAYERS PERFORMING SIDESTEPS WITH AND WITHOUT A BALL CATCH
Pilbeam, Alex (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2012)Research has identified sidesteps, frequently performed evasive manoeuvres in field sports such as rugby union, as a mechanism of non-contact ACL injury but limited insight into the influence of ball catching during a ... -
The effects of a competitive rugby union game on tuck jump assessment performance in female rugby players
Jones, Megan (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2015)Background: Female athletes have a higher anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rate than male athletes, across a range of sports. Studies have also shown a high ACL injury rate in females during a rugby union game, ... -
THREE DIMENSIONAL BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF THE KNEE JOINT DURING ANTICIPATED AND UNATICIPATED CUTTING MANOEUVRES IN MALE FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS
Ford, Edward (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2012)Cutting manoeuvres, especially in field sports, are essential athletic movements to improve performance, but are often cited as one of the primary mechanisms for non-contact lower limb injury. The aim of this study is to ...