The purpose of the present study was to identify which psychological features characterize competitive and recreational athletes suffering from a long-term injury. Moreover, the purpose was also to investigate psychosocial differences between athletes going through postsurgery rehabilitation and conservative rehabilitation, as well as to examine differences in gender. Participants (men=106, women=52) were distributed a questionnaire assessing hedonic tone and four sub categories of coping strategies (self-confidence, problem solving, seeking social support, and wishful thinking) and sociodemographic data. The results revealed that athletes in the post-surgery group were significantly higher on hedonic tone, self-confidence, and problem solving. Men counting for all groups scored higher on hedonic tone and self-confidence whereas women scored higher on seeking social support. These findings are not congruent with earlier studies and will be discussed.