Abstract
Purpose
To examine the association of fear avoidance and self-efficacy psychological factors within 4 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with knee impairment resolution and readiness for advanced rehabilitation at 12 weeks post-surgery.
Methods
Seventy-five patients participated. Data collection included demographics; questionnaires on fear avoidance (Pain Catastrophizing Scale, PCS; shortened Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, TSK-11) and self-efficacy (modified Self-Efficacy for Rehabilitation Outcome Scale, SER; Knee Activity Self-Efficacy, KASE) at 1, 4, and 12 weeks post-surgery; and knee impairment measures (pain intensity, range of motion, and quadriceps symmetry index) at 12 weeks post-surgery. Readiness for advanced rehabilitation (READY or NOT READY) was determined by knee impairment resolution criteria; demographics and questionnaire scores were compared between groups. Questionnaire scores at 1 and 4 weeks post-surgery and the change between time points were examined for association with knee impairment measures and group assignment.
Results
READY included 32 patients; NOT READY included 43 patients. Questionnaire scores improved in both groups over time. Significant correlations across groups were: PCS scores at 1 and 4 weeks post-surgery with pain intensity at 12 weeks post-surgery (r = 0.24 and 0.29, respectively) and KASE score 4 weeks post-surgery with range of motion deficit at 12 weeks post-surgery (r = − 0.26). Contact injury was more prevalent in READY. After accounting for mechanism of injury, higher TSK-11 and fear of re-injury subscale scores at 4 weeks post-surgery increased the odds of NOT READY assignment at 12 weeks post-surgery (odds ratios 1.10 and 1.31, respectively).
Conclusions
Lower pain catastrophizing and higher knee activity self-efficacy levels 4 weeks after ACL reconstruction were associated with better knee impairment resolution at 12 weeks post-surgery, whereas lower kinesiophobia at 4 weeks post-surgery increased the odds of meeting advanced rehabilitation criteria at 12 weeks post-surgery. The clinical implication of these findings is that measuring pain catastrophizing, knee activity self-efficacy and kinesiophobia at 4 weeks post-surgery may improve prediction of patients at risk for delayed rehabilitation progression 12 weeks post-surgery.
Level of evidence
III.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Trevor Lentz and Giorgio Zeppieri Jr for their assistance with data collection and Ariel Botwin for his assistance with data preparation.
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The authors certify that they have no commercial association that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with this article.
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The study protocol was approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board (IRB Project #548-2006).
Additional information
This work was conducted when Terese L. Chmielewski and Steven Z. George were at the University of Florida.
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Chmielewski, T.L., George, S.Z. Fear avoidance and self-efficacy at 4 weeks after ACL reconstruction are associated with early impairment resolution and readiness for advanced rehabilitation. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 27, 397–404 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-5048-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-5048-6