Injury recovery can worsen body image and eating habits in athletes, research finds
Research led by sports psychology professor Dana Voelker finds that body image concerns, weight pressures and disordered eating often worsen while athletes recover from injury.
Athletes forced off the field by injury may face a heightened risk of body image concerns and disordered eating, according to research led by Dana Voelker, a professor of sport, exercise and performance psychology and director of the sports science program at West Virginia University.
Voelker said the findings did not come as a surprise, but the scale of the problem did. In reflecting on their injuries, current and former athletes reported that concerns about their bodies, pressures around weight, unhealthy relationships with food and exercise, and compulsive exercise all intensified during recovery.
A central reason, she said, is the psychological blow of losing sport. When a large part of an athlete's identity is tied to competition, being sidelined can trigger a grief-like process marked by denial, anger and resistance, and only sometimes acceptance. Many athletes struggle because they have lost a sense of who they are.
Warning signs can be subtle. Voelker pointed to how athletes talk about their bodies, repeated checking in mirrors, adjusting uniforms, restricting food, and a preoccupation with eating or with judging the body as a measure of self-worth. Over-training is another concern, and it can be especially hard to spot because it often resembles the ideal of a dedicated athlete managing diet and pushing harder than others.
Although body image and eating disorders are commonly associated with women, the study also included men. They made up a smaller share of the sample, but their accounts contained numerous examples of similar concerns.
Voelker stressed that support has to come from several directions, with coaches, parents, teachers and support staff — including strength and conditioning specialists, nutritionists, sports psychologists and athletic trainers — sharing information. Problems may not surface in every setting, and athletes who fear losing a starting place may hide them.
Most athletes in the study said they wanted backing from coaches but did not receive it, even though they reported getting help from athletic trainers, psychologists or counsellors, and teammates.
Voelker framed the issue around how athletes are viewed. They are not simply bodies built to perform, she said, but whole people — and changing that outlook can reshape decisions, training design, practice planning and the way food is discussed.