Torn ligaments, broken bones and muscle strains. These are just a few injuries athletes might suffer on a regular basis. So why do competitors subject themselves to such agony? What causes them to push through the pain to reach their goals?
That’s exactly what Kristina Smith, a graduate student in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, investigated in a recent study. Smith studied mixed martial arts (MMA), a hyper-explosive combat sport that involves striking and grappling.
To date, the role of pain in sport has been poorly understood, but her findings could help athletes and coaches in all sports – from hockey to marathons.
“Pain is more than a physiological experience – it’s also a social and cultural phenomenon,” says Smith, who recently completed her Master’s degree.
“In everyday life we usually try to avoid or manage pain. But most athletes enter into a relationship with it to understand themselves and advance their skills.”
MMA provided a unique context for studying pain – competitors inflict as much damage as possible using Muay Thai, sambo, boxing, kick-boxing and jiu jitsu.
Smith studied seven athletes over four months through interviews, observation, video diaries and recordings of training sessions and fights. Assistant Professor Katherine Tamminen, whose research focuses on sport psychology, supervised Smith’s research.
Smith also trained with the fighters to experience pain first hand.
“At first I was really intimidated, but I got the hang of it and became confident in my training. I went through my own injuries, and it really helped me to understand what the fighters were going through.”
Her study suggests that beyond building self-awareness and skill progression, pain also created bonds between training partners and provided a strong support system.
“Pain is very relational, and when one individual experiences it, it is also felt among teammates and spectators,” says Professor Michael Atkinson, who is Smith’s current PhD supervisor. “When others see athletes experience pain, they can relate to it at a deep level, and it can teach them how to manage it themselves.”
So, how could coaches and athletes put these findings into practice?
Smith advises taking a broader look at reactions to pain and recommends using open communication to develop fighters’ self-awareness, foster trusting training partnerships and psychologically prepare athletes for competition.
“The coach at my gym would constantly talk about pain. He would model this behavior and make it okay for athletes to talk about it too. He turned it into a learning experience and this helped the athletes to grow personally and as a group.”
In the future, Smith plans to study pain in palliative care settings.
“We’re really just learning about people’s responses to, and uses of pain, as well as how pain is culturally constructed. People encounter pain in a full spectrum of ways. I hope to use my previous and future research to reveal more about the complex nature of pain.”