The Fear of Getting Hurt Again
When someone is recovering from a traumatic accident, overcoming a fear of re-injury is one of the essential steps in achieving a successful recovery. A traumatic event, such as a car collision, can happen at any time. Even minor accidents can lead to severe injuries. Some injuries, such as ligaments, tears, tendon tears, and bone fractures, require surgical repair. For someone to complete the recovery process and return to their pre-injury quality of life, they need to be able to trust this surgery.
Unfortunately, a fear of re-injury often prevents individuals from doing just that. Everyone needs to understand why the fear of re-injury is present. Then, they can conquer that fear and return to their pre-injury baseline.
Where Does a Fear of Reinjury Come From?
If an individual suffers a traumatic injury, much of the focus is on pain and physical impairments. This makes sense because the primary goal of the medical team is to control someone’s discomfort while also repairing any injuries that might be present. This is required for someone to return to school, work, and everyday life. Unfortunately, this also means that the psychological impacts of an injury are often overlooked.
One of the common psychological responses to a serious injury is a fear of getting hurt again. Regardless of whether the injury involved a tendon, ligament, or bone, people are afraid that the repair will not hold. After all, if the original tissue did not hold up, why would it hold up after already being damaged? This natural psychological response can lead to anxiety, frustration, depression, and tension. This fear also presents a significant roadblock to completing the recovery process.
Psychological Impairments Can Increase the Likelihood of Subsequent Injuries
What many people often don’t realize is that this fear of re-injury can actually make it easier for someone to get hurt again. The fear can lead to a significant amount of tension. This tension can cause someone to hesitate, afraid to move in any manner that might place stress on the repaired tissue. This fear of movement and stress, called kinesiophobia, is the natural response of individuals who are afraid of getting hurt again.
When someone is trying to avoid placing stress on a specific body part (such as one that has recently been surgically repaired), their body often contorts in unusual ways. This causes the body to shift this stress from the repaired body part to other tissues. As a result, the tissues start to break down. This increases the chances of a subsequent injury taking place.
Treating Kinesiophobia
Left untreated, kinesiophobia can significantly hinder someone’s rehabilitation and recovery process. To complete the treatment process, these fears need to be overcome. Treatment programs need to incorporate psychological principles during the rehabilitation process.
Medical professionals have undergone extensive training to place patients in a position to achieve a successful recovery. With the help of a trained mental health professional, these barriers can be overcome, and individuals can achieve their pre-injury level of functioning.
Watch YouTube Video: What is Kinesiophobia? In the video below, Dr. Todd Lininger with Neuro-Pain Consultants explains kinesiophobia and what you can do to overcome it.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. It is essential for someone to feel confident during the recovery process because re-injury fears can increase the chances of someone getting hurt again. If someone you care about is struggling to recover after an accident, please call me by dialing (916) 921-6400 or toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
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