Experiences of professional rugby union players returning to competition following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Carson, Fraser; Polman, Remco

doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2010.10.007

Cited by 39 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our findings suggest that psychological readiness can be considered a dynamic, psychosocial process comprised of three dimensions that increase athletes' perceived likelihood of a successful return to sport following injury. Findings from this study suggest confidence was a key component of psychological readiness and that confidence was multidimensional in nature, a finding echoed in previous research (e.g., Carson & Polman, 2012;Chase, Magyar, & Drake, 2005;Glazer, 2009;Podlog & Eklund, 2006). For example, Carson and Polman (2012) found that the main aim of professional rugby union players before a return to competition was to build confidence in the injured limb, while Chase et al (2005) found that the cultivation of self-efficacy and the utilization of psychological skills (e.g., imagery, relaxation) were important in helping gymnasts overcome their fear of injury.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Psychological Readiness to Return to Competitive Sport Following Injury: A Qualitative Study

Podlog

Banham

Wadey

et al. 2015

The Sport Psychologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The purpose of this study was to examine athlete experiences and understandings of psychological readiness to return to sport following a serious injury. A focus group and follow-up semistructured interviews were conducted with seven English athletes representing a variety of sports. Three key attributes of readiness were identified including: (a) confidence in returning to sport; (b) realistic expectations of one's sporting capabilities; and (c) motivation to regain previous performance standards. Numerous precursors such as trust in rehabilitation providers, accepting postinjury limitations, and feeling wanted by significant others were articulated. Results indicate that psychological readiness is a dynamic, psychosocial process comprised of three dimensions that increase athletes' perceived likelihood of a successful return to sport following injury. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research and practical implications are offered.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Psychological Readiness to Return to Competitive Sport Following Injury: A Qualitative Study

Podlog

Banham

Wadey

et al. 2015

The Sport Psychologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similarly, Johnston and Carroll 48 highlighted the importance of social support systems at different times in the rehabilitation process and described social supports as multidimensional and dynamic. Social support systems, among other coping strategies described by Carson and Polman, 24 were used throughout the rehabilitation process to facilitate the development of confidence in rugby athletes after ACLR. Although it is important for instilling confidence after ACLR, social support did not seem to be a factor in whether our participants RTS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim by the primary author (J.P.B.). An interview guide was developed (Appendix) and was based on current literature 23,24 relating to the psychosocial aspects of returning to sport after serious injury. This semistructured interview guide was used to maintain the consistency of questions asked of all participants during the interview process.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision to Return to Sport After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Part I: A Qualitative Investigation of Psychosocial Factors

Burland

Toonstra

Werner

et al. 2018

Journal of Athletic Training

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context: Return-to-sport criteria after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are often based on “satisfactory” functional and patient-reported outcomes. However, an individual's decision to return to sport is likely multifactorial; psychological and physical readiness to return may not be synonymous. Objective: To determine the psychosocial factors that influence the decision to return to sport in athletes 1 year post–ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Academic medical center. Patients or Other Participants: Twelve participants (6 males, 6 females) were purposefully chosen from a large cohort. Participants were a minimum of 1-year postsurgery and had been active in competitive athletics preinjury. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected via semistructured interviews. Qualitative analysis using a descriptive phenomenologic process, horizontalization, was used to derive categories and themes that represented the data. The dynamic-biopsychosocial model was used as a theoretical framework to guide this study. Results: Six predominant themes emerged that described the participants' experiences after ACLR: (1) hesitation and lack of confidence led to self-limiting tendencies, (2) awareness was heightened after ACLR, (3) expectations and assumptions about the recovery process influenced the decision to return to sport after ACLR, (4) coming to terms with ACL injury led to a reprioritization, (5) athletic participation helped reinforce intrinsic personal characteristics, and (6) having a strong support system both in and out of rehabilitation was a key factor in building a patient's confidence. We placed themes into components of the dynamic-biopsychosocial model to better understand how they influenced the return to sport. Conclusions: After ACLR, the decision to return to sport was largely influenced by psychosocial factors. Factors including hesitancy, lack of confidence, and fear of reinjury are directly related to knee function and have the potential to be addressed in the rehabilitation setting. Other factors, such as changes in priorities or expectations, may be independent of physical function but remain relevant to the patient-clinician relationship and should be considered during postoperative rehabilitation.

show abstract

“…One study identified fear, a change in life priorities, and personality traits as factors that influenced an individual's decision to return to sport after ACLR (Tjong et al, 2014). Two small studies of five rugby players (Carson & Polman, 2012) and five elite adolescent alpine skiers (Nordahl et al, 2014) identified high knee confidence as a key facilitator and low knee confidence as a key barrier to return to play (Carson & Polman, 2012;Nordahl et al, 2014). Similarly, a study interviewing 17 female handball players described confidence in the capabilities of one's body as a key factor influencing decisions to return to sport after ACLR (Thing, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, a study interviewing 17 female handball players described confidence in the capabilities of one's body as a key factor influencing decisions to return to sport after ACLR (Thing, 2006). While several qualitative studies have investigated factors influencing the decision to return to sport after ACLR, it is not clear how these factors impact longer-term QOL, particularly among people with ongoing knee symptoms or activity limitations (Carson & Polman, 2012;Nordahl et al, 2014;Thing, 2006;Tjong et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term quality of life following anterior cruciate ligament injury and reconstruction

Filbay¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) serves to stabilise the knee complex and prevent intraarticular knee structures from sustaining damage during multiaxial, high impact movement. An ACL rupture most commonly occurs in adolescents and young adults taking part in competitive sports and causes substantial disruption to the knee joint. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is the most common treatment offered to ACL-ruptured individuals worldwide. Individuals undergoing this surgery often have high expectations that rarely match surgical outcomes. Return to sport rates are low, re-injury fears are widespread and many individuals develop knee osteoarthritis within ten years of ACLR. This mismatch between expectations and actual outcomes has great potential to impact longer-term quality of life (QOL). The primary aims of this thesis were to: (i) generate a detailed picture of longer-term QOL following ACLR, and (ii) identify factors related to longer-term QOL in people with knee pain, symptoms or functional limitations following ACLR.The first study in this thesis is a systematic review that revealed impaired knee-related QOL at 5 to 20 years after ACLR. However, it became evident that research into factors impacting upon QOL in this population was scarce. The systematic review found that having a subsequent knee injury, an additional knee surgery after ACLR, and developing severe radiographic osteoarthritis were associated with worse QOL outcomes. The second study in this thesis is a systematic review that investigated QOL more than five years after ACL rupture in individuals who remained ACL-deficient (did not undergo ACLR) and compared QOL between ACLdeficient and ACL-reconstructed groups. This systematic review found that ACL-deficient individuals reported comparable QOL outcomes to those who underwent ACLR 5 to 25 years previously. All studies that reported QOL after ACLR included asymptomatic participants without knee difficulties, which may underestimate the degree of QOL impairment experienced by people with ongoing knee difficulties.The third study in this thesis used a cross-sectional design to describe QOL outcomes in 162 individuals with knee pain, symptoms or functional limitations 5 to 20 years following ACLR.It showed that individuals who did not return to sport after ACLR reported poorer knee-related and health-related QOL, compared to people who returned to pre-injury levels of sport. Higher body mass index (BMI) and subsequent surgery were also related to worse QOL after ACLR.This was the first study to show that return to sport was associated with QOL impairment more than five years after ACLR. However, quantitative assessment of QOL may overlook important considerations with regard to an individual's life priorities, expectations, values and concerns.To provide a detailed understanding of QOL following ACLR, qualitative interviews were performed with 17 individuals with knee difficulties 5 to 20 years following ACLR. This was the first qualitative study to explore QOL following...

show abstract

Experiences of professional rugby union players returning to competition following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Cited by 39 publications

References 21 publications

Psychological Readiness to Return to Competitive Sport Following Injury: A Qualitative Study

Psychological Readiness to Return to Competitive Sport Following Injury: A Qualitative Study

Decision to Return to Sport After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Part I: A Qualitative Investigation of Psychosocial Factors

Long-term quality of life following anterior cruciate ligament injury and reconstruction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About