SPRING BACK FROM INJURY

Staying positive when injured makes the road to recovery less bumpy
by Christie Aschwanden

PUBLISHED 06/19/2007

Central Park was Anne McDonough's comfort zone, the place she found peace and clarity while logging miles. But when a torn meniscus in her knee forced her into a yearlong hiatus last May, she wouldn't go near the New York City runners' Mecca. McDonough, 38, could deal with the pain of knee surgery, but couldn't bear the sight of others doing what she couldn't. "Not running was really hard for me," she says. "I'd been running since I was 12 and was used to doing several road races a month." Running is more than her favorite pastime: "It's part of who I am."

Some lucky striders will go their entire running lives without a misstep. But many more will face an injury that requires the ultimate sacrifice: no running. No runner welcomes that prescription, but those who grin and bear it generally fare better than those who don't. "Research shows that people battling sports injuries tend to have slower or less satisfactory recoveries when they are distressed or depressed," says Britt Brewer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

The exact reasons for that aren't completely understood yet. Brewer says it could simply be that athletes with better outlooks adhere to rehab better. Other studies suggest that depressed moods may generate an immune response that compromises recovery from injury. Regardless of the reason, Brewer says that optimistic athletes tend to spring back from injuries with better results.


Coping Mechanisms

Like McDonough, many runners suffer an identity crisis when running is no longer part of their daily routine. From 2001 to 2005, Kara Goucher spent more time in doctors' offices than on the roads. Patellar tendinitis, compartment syndrome, and a femoral stress fracture threatened the 29-year-old former NCAA champion's pro running career. "I felt frustrated and lost," she says. To complicate matters, Kara's husband, Adam Goucher, 32, also a former NCAA champion, was battling his own string of injuries. Achilles tendinitis, sacroiliac joint issues, and bilateral hernias kept him sidelined for three years. "I wondered, Am I ever going to be me again? It was a feeling of despair," he says.

The couple consulted Stephen Walker, Ph.D., a sports psychologist in Longmont, Colorado. "I had to realize that I'm not just a runner," Kara says. "I am a person who loves to run. That little rephrasing helped me a lot. Running shouldn't be the only thing that defines you."

Walker advises athletes to apply the same discipline to their thought patterns that they do to their training. "You can adopt a defeatist attitude, or you can ask yourself, What can I do to get optimal healing?" It's easy to give in to thoughts that are random, reactive, and restrictive, a mistake Walker calls R3 thinking. "If you go with whatever floats into your mind, you invite trouble because those thoughts are rarely constructive," he says. A better option: P3 thinking--purposeful, productive, and focused on possibilities (see Change Your Mind).


Active Recovery

Get a clear understanding of what your injury is and what rehab entails, and ask about the best-case and worst-case scenarios. Not knowing what to expect can cause anxiety. Studies have shown that a "psychological intervention"--distracting yourself with a positive behavior, such as goal-setting--can accelerate recovery. Aim for realistic targets, which will give you small victories. Find out what cross-training you can safely do to keep your fitness high and your angst low. "I discovered open-water swim races," says McDonough, "and substituted those for my usual road races."

Social support can also provide a buffer against depression. "Spend time with optimistic, encouraging people," Walker says. Whether those are runners or not is up to you. The Gouchers cross-trained together and gave each other moral support. Kara joined her training pals for stretching sessions, but Adam preferred to distance himself from the sport. "If we talked too much about running, I'd get in a foul mood," he says. So he channeled his energy elsewhere. "I spent hours working on the house. It was a great way to take my mind off running."

Filling your time with productive activities also protects you from unhealthy temptations. "Your body's resources need to be dedicated to healing," Brewer says. "If you're eating inappropriately, not sleeping enough, or drinking too much alcohol, you can hurt your recovery."

The Gouchers' injuries also provided perspective. "When you're injured, it feels like you're missing out on the biggest opportunities, but when you step back, you realize there's plenty of time to run and race," says Kara, who now lives and trains in Portland, Oregon; both Gouchers have joined Nike's Oregon Project (an elite athlete development program). "I'm still incredibly intense," says Adam, who's considering making his marathon debut at the Olympic Trials in November. "But I appreciate running so much more now."