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Abstract
Participation in sports at any level of competition carries with it the inherent risk of injury.Successful adaptation and rehabilitation depend on how an athlete interprets and responds when facing adversity, particularly if the rehabilitation protocol will be protracted. Adaptation processes in recovery situations are important for identifying the ways in which individuals strive to meet both internal and external demands. Factors that mediate the impact of injury may include general emotional distress, the location and extent of the injury, the amount of pain caused by the injury, the unexpectedness of the event, and the time of injury occurrence relative to the playing season (Crossman, 2001). Clinical evidence exists regarding the importance effective social support to increase one’s chances for optimal recovery. The family often provides the primary social environment where an athlete develops their identity and the motivation to succeed. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the family as athletes adapt to and rehabilitate from sports injury.