Role of sports psychology and sports nutrition in return to play from musculoskeletal injuries in professional soccer: an interdisciplinary approach.

Musculoskeletal injuries are prevalent in professional soccer and can result in lost training time or match play. It is intuitive that the "return to play" (RTP) pathway will depend, in large part, on the expertise of sports medicine practitioners (e.g. surgeons, physicians, physiotherapists) responsible for player's recovery. Consensus statements on returning athletes to sport following injury acknowledge the contributions of sport psychology and sports nutrition. However, specific consideration on how to integrate these two recognized - but often overlooked components of injury rehabilitation - into existing sport medicine approaches has yet to be examined. Using a framework of milestones directed by the medical physician and physical trainer, the evidence is summarized and suggestions provided on the integration of sports psychology and sports nutrition into an interdisciplinary RTP approach. We examine recovery from a phase approach (acute injury and functional recovery) to highlight interdisciplinary opportunities in the management of musculoskeletal soccer injuries. An interdisciplinary approach is understood to achieve outcomes that could not be achieved within the framework of a single discipline. The incorporation of sports psychology and nutrition theoretically compliment milestones used in current medically-based RTP models. Our hope is that this article serves as a catalyst for interdisciplinary practice and research - not only in sports nutrition and sports psychology - but across all sport and exercise disciplines.

Stress-related growth following sport injury: Examining the applicability of the organismic valuing theory.

This study explored the applicability of organismic valuing theory (OVT) to stress-related growth (SRG) following sport injury. Specifically, the direct and indirect relationships between need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness), SRG, and subjective well-being (i.e., positive affect) were examined. Previously injured athletes (n = 520), ranging from 18 to 59 years of age (Mage = 23.3 years; standard deviation = 6.5), completed three measures: needs satisfaction scale, stress-related growth scale, and positive affect scale. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation revealed a significant positive relationship between competence and relatedness and SRG, and between SRG and positive affect. In line with OVT, SRG was also found to mediate the relationship between need satisfaction (competence and relatedness) and subjective well-being. The findings offer preliminary support for the applicability of OVT in aiding our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of SRG. Future avenues of research are discussed, together with recommended methodologies to further extend and refine knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of SRG following sport injury.