Structuring bodywork: control and agency in athlete injury discourse

Abstract

This qualitative case study employs structuration theory to reveal d/Discourses in tension within athletic injury treatment and rehabilitation (i.e. a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football team). A thematic analysis exposed four concurrent discourses: injury heroism, injury recovery, athlete-centered care, and body commodification. These discourses created a structurational divergence nexus that enabled and constrained members. This nexus resulted in unintended consequences for the structuring of both injury disclosure and rehabilitation. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed as well as suggestions for practitioners in other bodywork and injury-prone organizations.