Blog 1: The Injured Athlete's Mental Survival Guide
Part 1: The Emotional Stages of a Serious Injury (And Why They're Normal):
Welcome to the first blog of The Injured Athlete's Mental Survival Guide series! My goal for you in reading this series is to learn the proper tools to overcome the mental obstacles and frustration that comes with injury in sport. Enjoy!
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You know that moment. The one where something shifts — a pop, a sharp pull, a pain that doesn't fade the way it should — and somewhere deep in your gut, you just know. This isn't a "shake it off" kind of day. This is a sit-down, head-in-hands, stare-at-your-running-shoes kind of day.
I know that moment because I've lived it. Multiple times. As a dancer from the age of two, a competitive track athlete, and now a triathlete, my body has handed me some very unwelcome news over the years — shin splints that had doctors telling me I'd never run again, a hip injury that sidelined me for nine months, and more setbacks in between than I care to count. Each time, the physical pain was almost secondary to the emotional spiral that followed.
And that spiral? Completely, 100%, scientifically normal.
An Injury Is More Than a Physical Event
For endurance athletes, training isn't just something you do — it's a core part of who you are. Your 5am alarm, your long run playlist, your race calendar pinned to the fridge. When that gets ripped away, the psychological impact can hit as hard as the injury itself.
Research backs this up. A landmark study published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that athletes commonly experience grief-like emotional responses following significant injury — mirroring the same stages identified by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her work on loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. More recent research in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation confirms that psychological distress following injury is not an exception — it's the rule, particularly among athletes with high athletic identity.
Translation: the more you love your sport, the harder an injury hits emotionally. So if you're feeling wrecked right now, that's not weakness. That's love.
What the Stages Actually Look Like for Athletes
Denial often shows up first — and sometimes it shows up wearing your training shoes. "It's probably fine, I'll just do an easy run and see." Sound familiar? I've been there. The problem with denial isn't just that it risks making injuries worse (though it absolutely does). It's that it delays the emotional processing that actually allows healing to begin.
Anger is next, and honestly — let it arrive. Anger at the timing, at your body, at the universe for scheduling your injury eight weeks before your A-race. That frustration is valid. Where it becomes a problem is when it gets directed inward as self-blame, or when it causes athletes to rush back before they're ready just to prove a point.
Bargaining is the sneaky one. "If I just do pool running instead, I can keep my fitness." "Maybe if I tape it really well..." Bargaining is the brain's creative attempt to negotiate its way out of the situation. Some of that problem-solving instinct is actually useful — cross-training, modified movement, and active recovery all have a place. But bargaining becomes harmful when it's really just denial wearing a disguise.
Depression in injured athletes is more common than most people admit. Studies suggest that up to 68% of injured athletes experience clinically significant symptoms of depression or anxiety during recovery. The loss of routine, community, identity, and physical endorphins creates a perfect storm. This is the stage where having support — from your care team, your coach, your people — matters most.
Acceptance doesn't mean you're happy about it. It means you've stopped fighting reality and started working with it. This is where real recovery — physical and mental — actually begins.
What I See in Practice
As a chiropractor who works primarily with endurance athletes, I can tell you that the athletes who struggle most with recovery are rarely the ones with the most serious injuries. They're the ones who never give themselves permission to feel the emotional weight of what they're going through. They white-knuckle their way through rehab, push when they shouldn't, and then crash — physically or emotionally — because they never processed the loss.
The athletes who recover best? They acknowledge where they are. They ask for help. They let the process be what it is.
That doesn't happen by accident. It happens with the right support around you — and sometimes that means more than just a treatment table.
You're Still an Athlete
Here's what I want you to hold onto right now: an injury is a chapter, not the ending. The emotional stages you're moving through are not a sign that something is wrong with you — they're a sign that something matters deeply to you. That's worth something.
In Part 2 of this series, we're going to tackle one of the most common and quietly devastating parts of being injured — losing your sense of athletic identity — and more importantly, how to protect it while your body heals. Because the training might be on pause, but who you are as an athlete doesn't have to be.
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If you're currently navigating an injury and aren't sure where to start, Dr. Keirstyn at Endurance Therapeutics works with endurance athletes at every stage of recovery — from the first diagnosis to the return to race day. Reach out to learn more about how chiropractic care can support both your body and your comeback.
📍 Endurance Therapeutics | Oakville