Factors informing fear of reinjury after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Fear of reinjury is associated with cessation of sport after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction despite normal postoperative knee function. The objective of this study is to describe factors informing athletes' experience of fear of reinjury post ACL reconstruction, in athletes who cited fear as the sole reason for not returning to their pre-injury level of sport. DESIGN: Mixed-methods study design of qualitative and a preliminary quantitative component. SETTING: A conveniently selected private hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Ten male and two female athletes, aged between 19 and 45 years, were eligible for the interview from 68 male and 32 female potential participants (age range 17-50) who underwent an ACL reconstruction using any graft type, excluding revision or multi-ligament surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To explore factors informing fear of reinjury in participants citing fear of reinjury as the sole reason for not returning to sport, albeit normal knee function. RESULTS: From the participant interview, four themes emerged: undergoing the surgery and recovery again, nature of the pre-injury sport imposing risk of reinjury, personality traits, and social priorities. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of factors informing fear of reinjury post ACL reconstruction. Modifiable fears including pain, mode and length of rehabilitation and psychological factors should be considered during rehabilitation to potentially improve the return to sport rate.

Intrinsic factors associated with return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The anterior cruciate ligament is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee, with an average of only 64% of affected athletes returning to their pre-injury level of sport. Intrinsic factors associated with an increased likelihood of return to sport may be addressed during rehabilitation to improve the outcome of the reconstruction. The objectives of this review were to systematically appraise publications from six electronic databases describing intrinsic factors that may be associated with return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Methodological quality appraisal was performed according to the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for cohort studies. We performed a descriptive synthesis of the findings that associated intrinsic factors with return to sport. RESULTS: Ten studies were included in the review. The findings show that fear of re-injury is a common reason for not returning to participation in sport. Younger patients may be more likely to return to sport, but findings regarding gender were equivocal, with male competitive athletes appearing to be more likely to return to sport than their female counterparts. Good knee function is not always associated with a higher likelihood to return to sport. CONCLUSION: Fear of re-injury and age should be considered in the management of sports participants after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.