My personal journey through the unpredictable terrain of injuries has underscored the need for a nuanced approach to help and support injured athletes. Antonovsky’s concept of the sense of coherence (SOC) (this is a direct download link for a full copy of a book with 250+ pages including a chapter from Lazarus… – I found that on Google Scholar…) has become my guiding light, providing a deeply personal framework to navigate the intricate challenges of injury and recovery. At the heart of this framework is the concept of comprehensibility, a facet that resonates profoundly with me as an athlete and a scientist-practitioner. It’s about delving into the depths of my injuries, unraveling the uncertainty that clouds these setbacks, and gaining a genuine understanding that becomes the bedrock of my recovery. This understanding, rooted in my own experiences, then opens the door to the transformative dimensions of manageability and meaningfulness. As I immerse together with my clients in Antonovsky’s SOC, we together unearth a strategy that not only facilitates physical recovery but also sparks a journey of personal growth and resilience, a narrative that I intimately embrace in the face of adversity.

Comprehensibility, the first factor, empowers athletes to make sense of the injury’s origins and implications. By fostering an understanding of the injury, athletes can alleviate the uncertainty that often accompanies it, providing a psychological anchor during a tumultuous time. This comprehension acts as a foundation for the subsequent factors of manageability and meaningfulness. Questions I commonly use in this context encompass understanding the genesis of the injury. Some of the questions revolve around the specifics of how the injury occurred, prompting athletes to reflect on potential alternative actions. Additionally, together we delve into considerations about what adjustments or alternative strategies could be implemented in a comparable situation in the future. Furthermore, the athlete and I explore the measures undertaken by the medical team, both historically and presently, to address and manage the injury effectively.

Manageability, the second facet of the SOC, equips athletes with the tools to regain a sense of control over their rehabilitation process. Breaking down the recovery journey into manageable steps allows athletes to approach each phase with a focused and strategic mindset. This factor empowers athletes to actively participate in their recovery, fostering a sense of agency that counters the feelings of helplessness that can accompany injury. As athletes regain control over their physical well-being, they concurrently bolster their mental resilience. Collectively, we center our attention on delineating a tailored roadmap for the athlete’s expedited improvement. This encompasses not only the identification of short-term and medium-term goals but also the strategic establishment of milestones leading to a seamless return-to-sport training. We delve into the importance of garnering support from the athlete’s network and explore avenues for sustaining performance during the recovery phase. Additionally, we collaborate to brainstorm ways to enhance the athlete’s overall experience during this period, aiming to make the current situation more manageable and conducive to optimal progress.

The third factor, meaningfulness, serves as the linchpin of the SOC model for athletes facing injury challenges. Finding purpose and significance in the rehabilitation process elevates it beyond a mere physical recovery; it becomes a meaningful component of the athlete’s broader life narrative. Many athletes, reflecting even years after their recovery, express gratitude for the injury, recognizing that it served as a catalyst for personal development and growth. In hindsight, they acknowledge that certain aspects of their personal evolution might not have occurred or would have taken significantly longer without the transformative impact of the injury. By aligning the recovery journey with their personal values and long-term goals, athletes can derive a sense of purpose from the adversity of injury, contributing to a more positive and adaptive coping strategy.
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In essence, Antonovsky’s sense of coherence, with its intertwined factors, provides athletes with a comprehensive and resilient framework for navigating the demands of an injury, fostering not just recovery but personal growth through for example post-traumatic growth.

For a deeper understanding of the impacts of post-traumatic growth in athletes, I recommend delving into the articles by Chris Hammer and Les Podlog. Their extensive research over the years has yielded valuable insights, shedding light on how injuries can be integral to the personal development of athletes (e.g. Understanding posttraumatic growth of paratriathletes with acquired disability, The Upside of Sports Injury and Disability: Personal Growth Following Adversity).

A few years back, I had a profound conversation with Dr. Les Podlog, delving into the intricacies of coping with injuries. During our discussion, he generously shared his expertise on bouncing back from injuries and navigating the path of personal growth through such challenges. If you’re interested, you can tune in to our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to glean insights and perspectives on resilience and development in the face of injuries.

How do you support athletes in coping with injuries and minimizing the duration of their absence from training and competition? I encourage you to share your experiences and approaches with others, fostering a collective learning environment aimed at enhancing the support for injured athletes and further improving our ability to serve them effectively.