This year, high school student Ella Youngman was involved in a soccer game where she attempted a slide tackle that resulted in a fractured pelvis.

Unfortunately, many high school athletes experience a similar situation to Ella. Over 3.5 million teenagers in the United States experience sports related injuries annually and these injuries can take a toll on teenagers’ mental and physical health.

Over several decades, participation in after-school sports has grown drastically, but with this the amount of injuries sustained have increased. In addition to the injuries, student athletes face mental health struggles as they recover.

According to a report from the hospital Mass General Brigham, 35 percent of injured teen athletes experience mental health issues following their injury, such as depression or anxiety. Many athletes struggle during the healing process and have trouble returning to their sport.

“It has been very hard for me to watch my team play without me and knowing I should be playing with them,” Youngman said. This feeling is very common among young athletes after they sustain their injury.

The problem of mental health after sports injuries has become such a problem that there has been serious action taken to address it.

In October 2023, Ohio passed Bill 492 which required all high school athletic coaches to undergo mental health training. The hope is that coaches will be able to easily recognize signs of mental health struggles in teenagers.

Outside of Ohio, seven states have passed similar legislation.

Recovery is the hardest thing for a student athlete. Depending on the injury, athletes may have to have surgery, go to physical therapy, or sports-specific training. This may be a long road to recovery for some students and can very much affect their mental health for long periods of time.

Coaches are very important throughout this recovery process. Coaches help student athletes to keep persisting and continuing to show up throughout their recovery process.

“Depending on the nature of the injury, in some cases we simply grab ice from the weight room. Some cases we call in the trainer to examine the student-athlete or in certain situations a school nurse is involved. If it is a long term injury we sometimes need to follow a prescribed plan from a doctor which may involve altering a practice plan in the water or sometimes shift to an out of water workout,” said high school swim coach Mr. Wright.

During recovery and time spent not playing the sport, mental health therapists tell student athletes to think about what it will be like to return to their sports and what their recovery can bring them in the future.

“I am most looking forward to being in the soccer environment with my teammates and being able to run again,” said Youngman.

Youngman hopes to have a full recovery and return to her sport as soon as possible.