A climbing injury sometimes feels like an unexpected pause in your favorite song, it often seems to happen right when you least expect or need it. The aftermath of being injured can be equally frustrating; whether it is because you need to put your project on hold, withdraw from a competition you've been preparing for, or cancel your long-anticipated climbing trip. In those moments, it's natural to feel disheartened. Yet, as unfortunate as injuries are, they are an often inevitable reality of being a climber.


So, how can you cope with being injured?

How can you best recover, and what can you do on a mental level to support your injury recovery?

How we cope with an injury may depend on how we react to the injury in a first place, whether we see it as a challenge or a threat state. As you might remember from our latest blog post about climbing injuries, 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.

Challenge and threat states after a climbing injury aren’t fixed responses. The evaluation we make of a situation is not set in stone but rather a dynamic process of weighing resources and demands (Meijen et al., 2020). Essentially, our brain can reevaluate a situation previously perceived as a threat and transition it into a challenge state, and vice versa  (Meijen et al., 2020).

What are resources to recover from and after a climbing injury?

Understanding what factors help your recovery from an injury is essential for a successful return to climbing. This involves recognizing and utilizing various resources, which can include mental tools, internal strengths, or support systems that help your rehabilitation and return to climbing. Resources also play a pivotal role in increasing the likelihood of being in a challenge state compared to a threat state throughout your injury recovery process. Specifically, perceived control, self-efficacy, and approach motivation are key resources that can influence whether rehabilitation from an injury is experienced in a challenge or a threat state (Jones et al., 2009).

Perceived Control

Perceived control refers to the belief in one’s ability to influence events and outcomes (Jones et al., 2009). In the context of injury recovery, climbers who feel they have control over their rehabilitation process are more likely to engage proactively with their recovery. This includes following rehabilitation protocols, making necessary lifestyle adjustments, and seeking appropriate medical and therapeutic support. Establishing a structured recovery plan with clear, manageable steps can enhance this sense of control.

Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capabilities to achieve a specific goal (Bandura, 1997). For injured climbers, high self-efficacy means having confidence in ones ability to recover and return to climbing. This belief can be bolstered through setting and achieving small, incremental goals during rehabilitation. Celebrating these small victories, such as regaining a range of motion or completing a set of physical therapy exercises, can build momentum and reinforce your belief in the recovery process.

Approach Motivation

Approach motivation involves striving toward positive outcomes rather than avoiding negative ones (Jones et al., 2009). Climbers with a strong approach motivation focus on the benefits of recovery, such as the opportunity to come back stronger, maybe mentally more resilient. This positive focus can drive them to adhere more consistently to their rehabilitation routines and seek out additional resources, such as mental health support or explore for instance alternative training methods like mental training that accommodate their current physical limitations.

Practical Strategies for injured Climbers

Practice Awareness

Start by creating awareness to acknowledge the demands placed upon you by your injury and identify the resources at your disposal, both internal and external. A tool for this can be a simple mindfulness exercise, tuning in to how your body feels, what emotions, and thoughts you experience, potentially recognizing whether you are in a challenge or threat state. With this heightened awareness as your foundation, you can apply strategies to increase your resources and shift from experiencing your injury as a threat to a challenge.

Sett Incremental Goals

Break down your recovery into small, manageable steps. Celebrate each milestone, no matter how minor it seems. This approach not only makes the recovery process less daunting but also helps build self-efficacy and motivation.

Leverage Social Support

Social support is a critical resource in injury recovery, and is currently being debated to be included as a resource to the Challenge and Threat framework. Engaging with a supportive community of fellow climbers, healthcare professionals, and mental health experts can provide guidance, encouragement, and practical assistance. This support can significantly enhance self-efficacy and perceived control, making it more likely to stay in a challenge state in injury recovery.

Educate Yourself

Learn about your injury and the rehabilitation process. Knowledge can empower you to take charge of your recovery, it can help you feel in control. Understanding the physiological and psychological aspects of your injury can help you make informed decisions and stay committed to your recovery plan.

Recovering from an injury is certainly not an easy journey, it’s physically and mentally hard. However, understanding and addressing challenge and threat states and using the power of resources like perceived control, self-efficacy, and approach motivation, and not last social support, might help to navigate injury rehabilitation and ultimately return to climbing with renewed strength and resilience.

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.

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