Why Mental Health Matters in Orthopedic Recovery

For a young athlete, their sport can be a big piece of their identity. Their social network can revolve around these practices, competitions and teammates. Getting hurt means a sudden stop to their participation and potentially removal from their entire social construct.

“An injury can feel very isolating and lead to depression and anxiety that we want to address just as much as their physical health,” explains Dr. Keyes.

“These young athletes might also have a fear of getting hurt again when they return to sports, especially if they can’t participate the way they could before,” says Melanie. “Kids can feel pressure from their parents or coaches to get back out there as fast as possible and have trouble expressing that.”

“We connect every patient with mental health counseling, if they want it, and we believe this is core to our promise of whole-person care,” says Dr. Keyes.

"We emphasize that this is not mandatory, just highly encouraged as we’ve seen how helpful it is for our patients," says Katelyn.

“We set families up with mental health providers who offer both in-person and virtual appointments,” explains Melanie. “We find that this works out nicely as a child recovers — it might be easier to have virtual visits for a while and then maybe transition to in-person eventually. We were even able to get one patient virtual therapy from her hospital room when she was first hospitalized.”

AdventHealth for Children pediatric orthopedics is the only local program offering mental health referrals as part of an orthopedic treatment plan.

Without addressing the mental side of an injury, recovery can’t be complete. “We always tell patients there's the biology of healing and then there's the psychology of healing,” says Katelyn, “and those don’t always occur at the same time.”

Even after the body heals, there can be lasting effects. “Kids are sometimes scared to get back on the field or even put their gear on after they are cleared to play,” explains Melanie. “We encourage them to talk to someone they trust and let them know how they’re feeling.”

Our dedicated Mental Health Navigators provide an extra level of support to patients going through health challenges. They are compassionate guides who can answer questions and connect families with resources, specialists, counseling and other services as they go through treatment or recovery. Mental Health Navigation is a complimentary service available to all pediatric patients at AdventHealth for Children.

“We work hard to identify agencies that are in network with your specific insurance provider,” says Melanie. “We’ll ensure that the providers we connect you with will accept your insurance. We want to do what we can to take the stress out of some of these tasks and decisions. Sometimes, we have to be persistent to find the right fit, but we’re happy to do that for our patients and families.”

“Some parents who decline mental health services at first come back later when they see their child struggling,” says Melanie. Others realize that social or behavioral issues at school have been a result of the injury’s impact on the child’s mental health.

“Some say, ‘I know they've been struggling a little bit longer than they've even told us, so I wish I had done this sooner.’"

“The depression, anxiety and loss of identity we mentioned doesn’t just happen to the kids; we see how much an injury can affect parents, and they end up benefiting from some extra support, too,” says Dr. Keyes.

Katelyn shares: “One mom I spoke to nearly fell out of her chair when I mentioned mental health counseling. She told me she was a counselor herself and wished everyone would place this kind of importance on mental health. She had come to us for a second opinion and was grateful for the whole-person care we could provide her child.”