The Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Patients Undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Abstract

Context:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries greatly impact patients in terms of future performance, reduced physical activity and athletic participation, and overall economic burden. Decades of research have investigated how to improve ACL reconstruction (ACLR) outcomes. Recently, there has been growing interest to understand the effects of psychosocial factors on patient outcomes.

Study Design:

Clinical review.

Evidence Acquisition:

A search of the PubMed database was performed in March 2023. Articles were reviewed by at least 2 authors to determine relevance. We highlighted publications of the past 5 years while incorporating previous pertinent studies.

Level of Evidence:

Level 5.

Results:

There is no standardization of psychosocial factors regarding ACLR. As such, there is a lack of consensus regarding which psychosocial measures to use and when. There is a need for clarification of the complex relationship between psychosocial factors and physical function. Despite this, psychosocial factors have the potential to help predict patients who are more likely to return to sport: (1) desire/motivation to return; (2) lower levels of kinesiophobia; (3) higher levels of self-efficacy, confidence, and subjective knee function; (4) risk acceptance; and (5) social support. However, there are no standardized interventions to improve psychosocial factors after ACLR.

Conclusion:

Psychosocial factors affect outcomes after ACLR. However, the interplay between psychosocial factors and physical function is complex. There is emerging evidence that testing and interventions may improve ACLR outcomes. There is a lack of standardized interventions to determine or improve psychosocial factors after ACLR. Further research is needed to identify psychosocial factors and to develop standardized interventions for clinicians to implement to improve clinical outcomes.