Integrating Psychological Skills to Reduce Sports-Related Injury Risk
Abstract:
The Stress and Injury Model proposes that negative psychological stress can increase the risk of sustaining a sport injury. However, current injury reduction programs focus on biological aspects, such as strength, flexibility, plyometrics, balance, and agility. Recent literature suggests that incorporating psychological skills, such as mindfulness, into injury reduction programs can help to reduce injury rates in athletes. This lecture will discuss the best available evidence regarding psychological skills that can be implemented to reduce primary and secondary injury risk. Participants will learn how to integrate techniques, including mindfulness and relaxation training, into injury reduction programs to prevent sports-related injuries.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain key biological factors that should be integrated into injury reduction programs based on NATA position statements.
- Discuss current evidence regarding the efficacy of integrating psychological skills to reduce primary and secondary injury risk after sport-related injury.
- Implement mindfulness and relaxation techniques through tech-driven solutions to enhance injury-reduction programs.
Level:
Advanced
Domain(s):
Domain 1: Risk Reduction Wellness and Health Literacy
Orthopedic Domain(s):
Domain 3: Professional Practice
CEUs:
1.0 Category A
Keywords:
Mental Health; Prevention; Behavior Change
In order to earn your CEUs, you must watch the session video in its entirety and complete the assessment.
Course Expiration:
All sessions of the NATA 76th Symposia On-Demand must be completed by October 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
For full details, refer to the expiration policy on our FAQ page.
Shelby Baez, PhD, ATC
Shelby Baez, Ph.D., ATC, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and the Director of the Psychology of Sport Injury Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Baez is a certified and licensed athletic trainer with an expertise in psychology of sport injury.
Dr. Baez’s research examines the impact of psychosocial factors on health outcomes after sport-related injury, with a focus on patients with traumatic knee injuries. Her lab examines the impact of psychosocial factors on biological outcomes, such as neurocognitive function, biomechanical alterations, and secondary injury risk. Her lab also seeks to identify clinically feasible and novel psychosocial interventions to improve health outcomes. These techniques range from graded exposure therapies to virtual reality mindfulness meditation.
Dr. Baez has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and other regional and national foundations to support her work. She was the recipient of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2020, the recipient of the American College of Sports Medicine New Investigator Award in 2023, and the recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association New Investigator Award in 2024.
