Imagery use during rehabilitation from injury: a case study of an elite athlete.

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to gain an in-depth understanding of an elite athlete's use of imagery across the different phases of injury rehabilitation and to explore the role of imagery ability and perception of pain on imagery use in rehabilitation. Data collection comprised semi-structured interviews, the Athletic Injury Imagery Questionnaire-2,the adapted Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, and a Visual Analogue Scale for pain. The athlete primarily used the cognitive specific function of imagery in the rehearsal of specific skills and to enhance self confidence. Findings of the study supported change in imagery use across rehabilitation and highlighted the affect of imagery ability and pain intensity on the use and effectiveness of the athlete's imagery. The study also provided some support for the effect of a number of variables on athletes' responses to injury (Wiese- Bjomstal; Smith, Shaffer, & Morrey, 1998).