Perceptions of Rehabilitation and Return to Sport Among High School Athletes With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Qualitative Research Study

Abstract

Background: Adolescent athletes struggle to return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) for physical and psychosocial reasons. The ability to integrate contextual evidence obtained directly from patients with the growing body of quantitative rehabilitation research may aid clinicians in taking an evidence-based approach to rehabilitation and return to sport within the adolescent population. Objectives: To assess perceived barriers to return to sport, as well as positive and negative factors influencing recovery, among high school athletes with recent history of ACLR. Methods: This phenomenographic cross-sectional study included a sample of 10 high school–aged individuals (7 female, 3 male; mean ± SD age, 16.8 ± 1.1 years; time since surgery, 5.5 ± 1.4 months) who underwent ACLR and had not returned to sports. Participants completed a semi-structured interview focused on attitudes related to return to sport, perceived physical or psychosocial barriers to physical activity and return to sport, and rehabilitation characteristics that may facilitate or hinder return to sport. Results: Participants reported psychosocial barriers to return to sport with greater consistency than physical barriers. Consistently reported barriers included the feeling that sport-based activities were now associated with injury, a persistent sense of uncertainty regarding full recovery, and the sense that comparison to others with ACLR by parents or coaches hindered their ability to make progress in rehabilitation. Conclusion: Early identification of athletes at risk for persistent psychosocial barriers, such as fear of reinjury and uncertainty regarding full recovery, and establishment of peer mentoring groups to facilitate psychosocial support throughout the rehabilitation process may be key components of a gradual, patient-centered approach to improving mental and physical readiness for return to sport. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2018;48(12):951–959. Epub 22 Jun 2018. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.8277