RECOVERING FROM A CLIMBING INJURY
Have you ever injured yourself climbing?
If you have, you probably know how annoying, frustrating, and downright devastating an injury can be. Imagine you're finally making progress on your project, feeling the rush of adrenaline, only to be thrown back by a sudden injury. The disappointment of having to pause your climbing journey can be overwhelming. You might have spent months building up your strength, perfecting your technique, or preparing for this specific route or boulder, only to find yourself stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of rest and rehabilitation.
Now, consider the added pressure if you were preparing for a major competition. You’ve invested countless hours in training, visualizing your performance, and honing your skills to compete at your best. The excitement and anticipation build as the competition date approaches. Then, without warning, an injury forces you to withdraw.
Or worse, you injure yourself during the competition itself, right in the middle of showing your hard work. The frustration of not being able to showcase your efforts and the fear of losing your competitive edge can be crushing. The interruption to your routine and the uncertainty about your return can leave you feeling adrift and discouraged.
Photo by Lena Drapella: Molly Thompson-Smith
An injury – a challenge or a threat?
Recovering from a climbing injury is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. The journey of recovery involves not just healing the body but also maintaining or regaining confidence and mental resilience. The Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes (TCTSA; Jones et al., 2009) provides a psychophysiological framework for understanding how athletes respond to motivated performance situations, i.e., a personally relevant situation, whether it’s a competition, a challenging project, or recovering from an injury.
At the core of the theory is the notion that stress can be both adaptive and maladaptive. How we respond to a certain situation is shaped by how we perceive the situational demands and our available resources in that given context (Meijen et al., 2020). This perceived balance between demands and resources then determines our reaction.
According to the theory, our reactions can be categorised into two distinct psychobiological states: a challenge state or a threat state. Challenge and threat states can influence the effort we give, our attention, decision making, and physical functioning (Meijen et al., 2020). Understanding these states can provide us with tools for experiencing injury recovery as a challenge not a threat.
The Challenge State
A challenge state is preceded by the perception that one has enough internal and external resources to meet the demands of a situation (Meijen et al., 2020). In the context of recovering from an injury this could mean that you feel in control of your rehabilitation progress, you are motivated to become stronger and feel capable in your recovery efforts. When in a challenge state, the focus is on harnessing available resources, and believing in one's ability to meet the demands of a situation. This state is associated with positive emotions, heightened motivation, and improved performance. For climbers, this could mean seeing the injury as an opportunity to improve overall strength, flexibility, or technique in other areas.
Interestingly, challenge and threat states were found to not only be a mental phenomenon but show on a physiological level. A challenge state for instance is linked to increased sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) activity, which can lead to enhanced cardiovascular responses, better energy mobilisation, improved cognitive and physical performance, positive emotions and efficient decision-making (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1996; Jones et al., 2009). A threat state activates both SAM and pituitary-adreno-cortical (PAC) systems, which represents our bodies’ “distress system”. This leads to less efficient energy use, less effective decision-making and self-regulation, and more likely negative emotions.
The Threat State
Conversely to a challenge state, a threat state arises when an individual views a situation as overwhelming or insurmountable, demands surpass our resources, and the focus is on potential negative outcomes (Meijen et al., 2020). This state can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and self-doubt. In a threat state, an injury can evoke fears about losing fitness, long-term impacts on climbing ability, or re-injury, which can decrease motivation and hinder the recovery process.
Dealing with an injury can be incredibly challenging, and we want to acknowledge that. But let's not forget that each setback holds the opportunity for a comeback.
How have you experienced your injury, if you had one?
What were the biggest challenges?
How did you overcome them?
Contribute to Research
Are you a climber who is currently injured or was previously injured no longer than 12 months ago? We invite you to participate in a research study from the University of Amsterdam focused on challenge and threat states in injury rehabilitation in sports.
If you are willing to take approximately 15 minutes your insights could help improve recovery strategies and support systems for athletes.
Click here to take the survey and contribute to sport injury research!
Work with us if you are injured and struggle with the mental challenges of it!
Professional sport psychological support on an elite level – but also already for youth climbers – has become indispensable. We have professionally accompanied World Cup climbers, World Cup medalists, Olympic contenders as well as youth competitors and medalists. Enroll now for our 1:1 mental coachings. The first 30min are free, so you can get to know us and we can discuss how we can work together on your mindset.