A qualitative study exploring the lived experiences of professional surfers returning to surfing after an acute physical injury
Creators: name: Scorey, Maggie Anne
Publisher: name: Southern Cross University
Year: 2020
Subjects: Surfing
Qualitative
Injury
Rehabilitation

description: Objective: Surfboard riding is enjoyed as a recreational and competitive sport by many people in Australia and internationally. Injury rates of between 1.79 to 6.6 injuries per 1000 hours of surfing have been reported for competitive surfers, compared to 1.23 to 3.5 per 1000 hours for recreational surfers. To date, research into surfing injuries and rehabilitation has focused on injury rates and types of injuries. This Master of Science project explores the lived experiences of professional surfers returning to surfing after sustaining an acute physical injury. It specifically aims to determine the elements that facilitate and inhibit return to competitive surfing and to identify the supports available after an acute physical injury.
description: Method: A descriptive qualitative research design was used in this study and was informed by three conceptual frameworks – phenomenology (production of rich descriptions of the lived experiences of five professional surfers after they sustained an acute physical injury), Self-Determination Theory (Ryan &amp; Deci, 2000) (framework for motivation and personality used as a second independent analysis) and the ‘Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance’ model (Christiansen, Baum, &amp; Bass, 2015) (an occupational therapy model to relate the findings and guide the development of the semi-structured in-depth interviews).
description: Results: The phenomenological analysis revealed four primary themes: financial hardship, extensive impact of injury, inadequate rehabilitation and importance of support. These themes were derived from a number of sub-themes. The self-determination theory analysis confirmed the phenomenological subthemes as well as identified the facilitators and barriers associated with professional surfers returning to surfing following an acute physical injury. Accessing multi-disciplinary rehabilitation, having strong relationships with health practitioners, returning to surfing prior to complete recovery, having strong personal support and being positive, and using adversity as a time for personal growth emerged as key facilitators. Barriers to return to surfing were financial hardship; anxiety when returning to surfing; life impact; lack of awareness regarding initial injury protocol; lengthy rehabilitation with poor continuity; and lack of organisational and sponsor support.
description: Conclusions: This study found that professional surfers would benefit from adequate organisational and sponsor support when returning to surfing after an acute physical injury and that this would impact rehabilitation, well-being, performance and return to surfing. The outcomes of this study contribute to the limited body of knowledge about professional surfers’ lived experiences of rehabilitation and assist surfing organisations and sponsors to identify additional supports required to accelerate return to competition and to prioritise the well-being of professional surfers.