The fear of reinjury and lack of confidence can have a huge impact on anterior cruciate ligament surgery recovery and return to play after a sports injury.
A group of researchers examined how physical, psychosocial and functional recovery of patients reporting fear of reinjury or lack of confidence when returning to their sports and published their results in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. There were 73 patients who were followed for one year. The researchers found:
1. There were 46 patients returned to their sport within one year after surgery.
2. There were 13 patients who did not return to sports. An additional 14 patients didn't return to sports because of their fear or lack of confidence.
3. The patients who did not return to sports because of fear or lack of confidence had these qualities, as compared with the patients who did return to sports:
• Older age
• Lower quadriceps strength/body weight
• Lower International Knee Documentation Committee scores
• Higher Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-shortened form
These scores were lower at six months and one year. However, both groups had similar pain levels.
4. The patients who did not return to play because of fear or lack of confidence reported the International Knee Documentation Committee score associated with QSBW and pain at six months as well as QSBW, quadriceps index, pain and TSK-11 scores at one year.
5. The researchers recommended assessing for fear of reinjury, quadriceps, strength and self-reported function at six months that "may help identify patients at risk for not returning to sports at one year and should be considered for inclusion in return-to-sport guidelines."
This is not only an issue among "weekend warriors"; several high-profile professional athletes have struggled to physically and psychologically return to play after big knee injuries and surgery. Those athletes include Chicago Bulls Guard Derrick Rose and Washington Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin III.