File
R. Gajardo-Burgos1, C. Valdebenito2, G. Gálvez-García3,4, C. Bascour-Sandoval5,6
1Universidad Austral de Chile, Instituto de Aparato Locomotor y Rehabilitación, Valdivia, Chile, 2Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile, 3Universidad de La Frontera, Departamento de Psicología, Temuco, Chile, 4Université Lyon 2, Département de Psychologie Cognitive & Neuropsychologie, Institut de Psychologie, Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Lyon, France, 5Universidad de La Frontera, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Temuco, Chile, 6Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Carrera de Kinesiología, Temuco, Chile
Background: Pain is a common consequence after sports injuries, which can be modulated by various psychological processes, where the Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport (PRRS) is particularly relevant for athletes. PRRS is a psychosocial process that may be experienced at different stages in their transition from rehabilitation to returning to competitive sport. Therefore, PRRS could be associated with pain perception, however, its association in athletes in competition has not been explored.
Purpose: To determine the association between PRRS and pain intensity in elite volleyball players during their participation in a continental sporting event.
Methods: Cross sectional data from 107 male volleyball players (23.50 ± 4.08 years old) participating in the South American Volleyball Championship were used. Athletes answered a self-report questionnaire, on the championship first day, regarding their injury history in the last 6 months. Athletes who reported injuries were consulted for current pain intensity using the Numerical Pain Scale (NRS) and for PRRS using the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale (I-PRRS). The relationship between both variables was evaluated using the Spearman´s Rho coefficient.
Results: 43.93% (n = 47) of the athletes (23.70 ± 3.54 of age) reported an injury during the 6 months prior to the championship. Pain intensity presented a median in NRS of 3 (IQR, 2-5), and PRRS presented a score of 54 (IQR, 46 5-58) in the I-PRRS. An inverse and moderate association (rs = -0.36; p = 0.011; CI: -0.64 - -0.08) was seen between pain intensity and PRRS.
Conclusion(s): Pain intensity is negatively associated with PRRS in elite male volleyball players participating in a sports competition.
Implications: The technical and health teams should consider these findings since both variables are potentially modifiable and influence the performance of athletes when facing a competition.
Funding, acknowledgements: NA
Keywords: pain, psychological process, return to sport
Topic: Sport & sports injuries
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Universidad Austral de Chile
Committee: Comité Ético Científico del Servicio de Salud Valdivia
Ethics number: Ord. N° 280, Agosto, 13 de 2019
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
