Comment on: A qualitative examination of women’s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation

The article “A qualitative examination of women’s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation” written by authors Driediger, McKay, Hall, and Echlin is very intriguing. This article sheds some light on the anxieties that women have about their bodies and their rehabilitation settings after an injury. Certain participants in the study said they may not continue their rehab programs if they felt discomfort related to social or physical environmental factors [1]. It is the patient’s choice to discontinue treatment if they wish to, but for physicians and therapists this is not an ideal outcome. The patients interviewed “expressed the necessity for open communication with physiotherapists regarding each patient’s choice of treatment setting” [1,p. 374]. The fact that women were discouraged from going to physiotherapy sessions as a result of feeling self-conscious is a problem for health care practitioners who want to see their patients recover in a healthy way. Some of the environmental factors that were anxiety producing were modifiable, and therefore healthcare professionals can play a role in preventing patients from discontinuing therapy.

The article “Social Physique Anxiety: An Exploration of Influence on Sporting Confidence and Participation” written by Robinson and Lewis, discusses another aspect of life that can be impacted by social physique anxiety (SPA). This article provides further evidence that women typically have higher levels of SPA than men. It also details the gender differences among other factors such as weight preoccupation and appearance and health orientation. The study seemed to find that low confidence in sporting activities was correlated with higher SPA scores [2]. Both this research and the study done by Driediger et al. seem to conclude that SPA is greater in women, and can impact their everyday activities.

Perhaps this study will inspire clinics to have a wider variety of options for injury rehabilitation in order to make patients more comfortable. It would also be interesting to expand on this research to determine whether or not men, despite lower levels of SPA, would prefer certain treatment settings. The same could be researched regarding whether or not children experience SPA in injury rehab settings. Making modifications to clinics has the potential improve patient outcomes. Additionally, it could be beneficial to investigate the prevalence of SPA in healthcare settings other than injury rehab and the effects it has on treatment.Ethical approval: The organisation providing ethical approval and ethics protocol reference number where appropriate.Funding: Any sources of funding should be stated.Conflict of interest: None declared.