Psychological Readiness May Outweigh Physical Readiness for Post-Surgery Return to Sport
Research By: Christy Zwolski, PT, DPT, PhD
Post Date: August 8, 2023 | Publish Date: Aug. 8, 2023
Sports Medicine | Top Scientific Achievement
Psychological readiness to return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction has been cited as an important predictor of successful return to pre-injury performance levels. However, the conditions that create a positive psychological response after ACL reconstruction are not well understood.
A study led by corresponding author Christin Zwolski, PT, DPT, PhD, examined the associations between achieving actual physical competence (APC), perceived physical competence (PPC) criteria, and psychological readiness to return to sport following knee repair. The study enrolled 41 athletes ages 13-25 who had surgery and had been medically cleared to return to sport. PPC and psychological readiness were assessed using validated self-report surveys, while APC was assessed using both self-report surveys and ACL-specific physical testing.
The study found that meeting PPC criteria was significantly associated with aspects of psychological readiness to return to sport. Specifically, participants who achieved PPC criteria demonstrated lower reinjury anxiety and lower perception of risk involved in returning to sport. Younger age and male sex were also associated with lower reinjury anxiety.
“Interestingly, APC did not have any statistically significant associations with psychological readiness to return to sport,” Zwolski says.
Future directions for this line of study include developing interventions designed to facilitate high PPC in young athletes after surgery, and determining whether interventions that focus on the psychological response to ACL reconstruction can be applied to other types of injury.
Other Cincinnati Children’s experts involved in this research included Mark Paterno, PT, PhD, ATC, and Staci Thomas, MS. Researchers from The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH also contributed to the study.
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| Original title: | The Association of Physical Competence With Psychological Response Among Young Athletes at Time of Return to Sport After ACL Reconstruction |
| Published in: | American Journal of Sports Medicine |
| Publish date: | Aug. 8, 2023 |
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