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A FLOCK OF BIRDS AND THE COMPLEX SYSTEMS: UNFOLDING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS IN SPORTS INJURY REHABILITATION FEATURE / KATE YUNG Introduction Since the development of the injury prevention model with the complex systems model [1], there has been increasing interest in the complex systems theory. Practitioners have been trying to understand how the model is relevant to their practice and how will it change their practice. The article aims to explain what the complex systems theory is and how it is relevant to the daily practice and operation in football.
Complex systems
Complicated & mul�factorial only.
What is the complex systems theory? • The complex systems theory, with more than 50 years of history [2], acknowledges the multifaceted nature of sports and seeks to understand the interactions among different factors and the outcomes of the systems [1, 3]. • Complex systems are dynamic, open systems [4]. They are characterised by non-linearity due to feedback loops and interaction among the factors. This means that outputs are not always proportional to the inputs, and a small adjustment may lead to a large change in the systems and vice versa [5].
Figure 1. A flock of birds and the complex systems
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The flock emerged without any lead bird directing each bird’s action.
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Multiple perspectives are required when viewing complex systems. The systems are three dimensional and interactions within the systems often occur at different scales and levels [7]. These include the environment, ecosystem and human activity (Figure 1).
• Complex systems are composed of a large number of interacting components which give rise to global behaviour and make up a system that exhibits novel characteristics [4]. • In the context of return to sport (RTS), these units could include age, wellness, biological healing of injured tissue, stress, external pressure and injury history. The units interact and define the space and dimension of the systems [6]. • This means that complex systems can not be understood by studying their parts. Instead, it may be better to be studied from multiple perspectives. • Examples of complex systems are flocks of birds, ecosystems and immune systems.
Complex systems in rehabilitation • Human systems, like a flock of birds, are also complex systems with distinctive characteristics. Using anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation as an example, we have described the characteristics of complex systems in our paper “Characteristics of Complex Systems in Sports Injury Rehabilitation: Examples and Implications for Practice”[8]. •
Complex systems explained with a flock of birds • All individual birds follow a simple rule: maintain proximity without bumping into each other. That results in emergent behaviour known as flocking (Figure 1).
In the context of RTS, the interacting factors could include age, wellness, biological healing of injured tissue, stress, external pressure and injury history. The factors will interact with the environment and other factors and consequently, different systems within systems emerge.
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These systems may be categorised based on their nature, for example, biomechanical, physiological and psychological.
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They are also of multiple levels, namely individual, organisational and environmental. The individual level represents factors related to the individual athlete, from tissue healing to personal traits. The organisational level represents external factors related to the sporting club, organisation and support team, e.g., the coaching and medical team. The environmental level covers factors beyond the organisational level, such as the weather, playing schedule and competition level.
FAQ 1: I know rehabilitation is complex and multifactorial, why do I have to bother about complex systems? • The complex systems approach provides a theoretical framework for interpreting the patterns that emerged from biopsychosocial and other external factors. It is a tool for analyzing a problem more thoughtfully and efficiently.
