Imagery Use During Rehabilitation from Injury

The purpose of the present study was to explore the use of imagery by injured athletes during rehabilitation. Four athletes were interviewed about their imagery use at three phases of their rehabilitation; early, mid, and late. Athletes primarily used cognitive, healing, and pain management imagery. Cognitive specific imagery, which involved the rehearsal of specific performance skills was used largely to enhance self-confidence, and healing and pain management imagery were used to promote healing and deal with pain. However, differences emerged between athlete's use of imagery at different time phases and in response to different sources of stress/concerns. The study provided support for the effect of a number of variables on athlete's responses to injury, proposed by Wiese-Bjornstal et al.'s (1998) integrated model of response.