Helping Athletes Return to Sport After ACL Surgery

The journey back to full fitness after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is not just about physical healing. The mind plays a huge role too. This is why a tool was created to help athletes who speak Traditional Chinese. It's called the ACL-RSI-TC. This tool was designed to help people who have had ACL surgery. It helps them get back to their previous level of activity and monitor their recovery. The ACL-RSI-TC was created using a method called back translation. This means the original tool was translated into Traditional Chinese and then back into the original language to ensure accuracy. 150 physically active participants, both men and women, took part in the study. They were all at least 42 months post-surgery. Their ages ranged from young adults to those in their early 30s. The tool was tested for reliability and validity. Reliability means it gives consistent results over time. Validity means it actually measures what it's supposed to. The ACL-RSI-TC showed good internal consistency. This means the different parts of the tool measure the same thing. It also showed reasonable reliability and validity. This means it's a useful tool for measuring psychological recovery after ACL surgery. The ACL-RSI-TC was compared with two other tools. The first is the KOOS, which measures knee function. The second is the TSK-11, which measures fear of movement. The ACL-RSI-TC scores had small to moderate correlations with the KOOS subscales. This means they measure related but different things. The ACL-RSI-TC scores also had a negative correlation with the TSK-11 scores. This means that as psychological recovery improves, fear of movement decreases. The ACL-RSI-TC is a valuable tool for clinicians. It can help them make better decisions about rehabilitation and return to sport. It's especially useful for those who speak Traditional Chinese. However, more research is needed to fully understand its potential. This tool could be a game-changer for athletes recovering from ACL surgery.