Rehabilitation, Mental Health, and Hydrotherapy
Mental health has become a hot topic in the athletic industry from K-12 schools all the way through professional leagues.
Athletic Trainers have an incredible opportunity to support athletes’ mental health every day. When athletes are injured, they face challenges that are beyond their physical wounds.
How Rehabilitation Can Impact Mental Health
- Fear of re-injury – Athletes may overthink the why and how of their injury. This can lead to decreased confidence and hesitancy to push themselves the way they had in the past.
- Depression – After an injury, athletes are removed from their familiar social circle to focus on recovery. Athletes may feel secluded and question whether they can be successful in their healing journey.
- Lack of motivation – Depending on the injury severity, a long recovery road ahead can look daunting for an athlete. If their progress is slow, this could result in skipped sessions or a lack of commitment and positivity.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren was interviewed by AthleticDirectorU and spoke about student-athlete mental health and wellness.
During the conversation, Warren emphasized the importance of simply being there for athletes.
“…let people know that it’s going to be okay,” said Warren, “And just because it’s a little stormy and cloudy right now, that’s not the journey of your life. It will be okay and just to hang in there. The biggest thing is just surrounding yourself with supportive people and relationships.”
You can protect athletes’ mental health by helping them recover faster using hydrotherapy.
Helping athletes make progress on their healing journey as fast as possible protects their well-being, confidence, and physical health. Athletes can begin rehabilitation sooner with hydrotherapy than with land-based rehab programs. Hydrotherapy can play a significant role in helping athletes regain mobility without pain.
3 Ways Aquatic Therapy Impacts An Athlete’s Mental Health and Rehab Experience
- Athletes can begin rehab exercises sooner than land-based exercises; thus speeding up recovery and getting them back on the field faster.
- Inflammation and pain are greatly reduced; the warm water acts as an aid for sore, swollen or injured joints and muscles. This helps athletes feel capable during their rehab sessions and increases their confidence.
- Mindset and motivation improve when athletes can move freely and feel themselves making progress.
Learn how you can incorporate aquatic therapy into your facility and improve your athletes’ rehabilitation success.