Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Better understanding the psychological consequences of an injury and its influence on behavior changes and the implementation of a prevention program seems relevant for injury management (treatment and prevention). Thus, the objective of this present study was (1) to analyze the perception of injury by athletes, and (2) to analyze their influence on the realization of injury prevention measures. METHODS: We conducted a national retrospective quantitative observational study to collect the feelings of competitive athletes licensed to the French Athletics Federation with respect to their injury history, their perception of the injury and the injury prevention programs, through a computer survey sent to athletes in spring 2020. RESULTS: In all, 7712 responses from athletes were included in this analysis, including 37% women and 63% men, aged 37.9 ± 14.8 years (18 to 87 years), ranging from international to departmental level, covering all disciplines of athletics. Seventy percent of athletes had never completed an injury prevention program in their career, while 30% felt they had partially or fully completed one. Ninety percent of the athletes had had at least one injury since starting athletics. Athletes reported that an injury created sadness, frustration, disgust, and a worry about getting hurt in one place. They were aware that poor management of an injury could lead to a recurrence or a new injury. Athletes with a history of injury performed significantly more injury prevention program than those with no injury history. Athletes with previous injury believed in the effectiveness of injury prevention programs more than those without. On the other hand, there was no difference in the perception of the interest of preventive measures such as a healthy lifestyle, listening to your body, pain and fatigue between athletes with and without a history of injuries. CONCLUSION: We have reported that an injury can have significant psychological consequences on the athlete. These repercussions are important to consider in the overall management of injuries, e.g. in the treatment, return to the field and prevention of injuries.