ArticlePloS one2022
Understanding the psychological mechanisms of return to sports readiness after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- The utility of psychological readiness scales in predicting return to sport: a systematic review.BMC psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- From Fear to Function: How Physiotherapists Navigate Psychological Challenges in Patients Undergoing Rehabilitation After ACL Reconstruction.Sports health · 2026Article
- Beyond Physical Recovery: Psychological Factors and Assessment Tools in Return to Sport Decision-making after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction - A Scoping Review.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- Muscle amnesia: a hypothesized framework for motor-pattern accessibility in exercise rehabilitation after inactivity, injury and illness.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Patients' Mental Barriers in Rehabilitation after ACL Reconstruction: A Qualitative Interview Study.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- Return to Work and Sports After Tibial Plateau Fracture Treatment: Are There Factors Associated with Faster Recovery?Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- "Returning to Sport Is Not Just About the Knee": Physiotherapists' Experiences of the Management of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Qualitative Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Psychological readiness of return to sport after arthroscopic Bankart repair: A systematic review.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Review
- Critical Evaluation of Curriculum Reporting on Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Websites.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2025Article
- Administering the ACL-RSI Before or After ACL Functional Testing: Does It Matter?International journal of sports physical therapy · 2025Article
- Psychological Readiness for Return to Sport After Shoulder Stabilization Surgery: A Review of Current Evidence and the Role of The Shoulder Instability Return to Sport After Injury (SIRSI) Scale.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2025Review
- Psychological Responses During Latter Rehabilitation and Return to Sport After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery.Journal of athletic training · 2024Article
- How Athletic Swiss Patients Experience Their Return to Sports After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Results from a Retrospective Self-Assessment.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Return to Skiing After Tibial Plateau Fracture.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe psychological response to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury is significant and can negatively impact return to sports outcomes. This study aimed to quantify the association between factors associated with return to sport using network analysis.
methods441 participants who underwent primary ACL reconstruction. The 12-item ACL Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) scale was administered to all participants 12 months after surgery. Three network analyses were used to quantify the adjusted correlations between the 12 items of the ACL-RSI scale, and to determine the centrality indices of each item (i.e., the degree of connection with other items in the network). Further subgroup network analyses were conducted for those who had (n = 115) and had not returned (n = 326) to their pre-injury level of sport.
resultsThe greatest adjusted correlation was between Q7 and Q9 (fear of re-injury and afraid of accidentally injuring knee) of the ACL-RSI (group 0.48 (95%CI [0.40 to 0.57])) across all three networks. The most important item in the network was Q12 (relaxed about sport) across all three networks. Individuals who did return to sport had greater Strength centrality for Q8 (confidence in knee, P = 0.014) compared to those who did not return to sport.
conclusionFear of re-injury and being relaxed about playing sport were the two most important nodes in the network models that describe the return to sport readiness. The importance of knee confidence at influencing psychological readiness was greater in athletes who did return to sport compared to those who did not. Our findings provide candidate therapeutic targets that could inform future interventions designed to optimize return to sport rates in athletes post ACL reconstruction.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.