Athletes experience loss after an injury: not only do they lose a physical capability, they lose a salient part of their self.
The integrity of the self is assaulted and threatened.
Taken for granted assumptions about possessing a smoothly functioning body are shaken, previous assumptions about the relationships between body and self are disturbed, and the sense of wholeness between body and self is disrupted.
Because many athletes shape their lives around the performance of their body in sports, an injury has manifold effects: studies have shown that depression, anxiety and low self esteem frequently accompany an injury.
