The use of imagery by athletes during injury rehabilitation

Objectives: To determine whether athletes use motivational and cognitive im agery during injury rehabilitation and to develop an instrument for measuri ng imagery use. Design: A survey concerning imagery use during rehabilitation was administe red to injured athletes. Setting: The fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic in London, Ontario, Canad a. Participants: Injured athletes (N = 71) receiving physiotherapy. Main Outcome Measure: The Athletic Injury Imagery Questionnaire (AIIQ). Results: As hypothesized, 2 distinct factors emerged from the items on the AIIQ: motivational and cognitive imagery. Motivational imagery was used mor e often than cognitive imagery in this context, yet less frequently than in other sport situations (eg, training and competition). Conclusions: The study indicates that the AIIQ is a potentially useful tool through which physiotherapists and sport psychologists can examine athlete s' use of imagery in injury rehabilitation.