Understanding the psychology of pain in sport

Abstract

While sport and exercise psychology has devoted considerable energies towards understanding the effects of injury, the psychology of pain itselfhas received far less attention. The paper briefly reviews primary research in this area in relation to definitional, methodological and theoretical concerns. The difference in pain perception and tolerance between athletes and non athletes and between sports, attentional aspects of pain perception and cognitive coping strategies are also discussed. An integrative model is proposed which links the physiological sensation of pain with a two-stage process of cognitive appraisal and a series of behavioural responses, mediated by extrinsic and intrinsic factors together with cognitive coping strategies. The model also includes a taxonomy of different types of pain which can be experienced during sport.