Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul;30(7):2244-2250.
doi: 10.1007/s00167-021-06762-x. Epub 2021 Oct 18.

"I don't opt out of things because I think I will get a sore knee, but I don't expose myself to stupid risks either": patients' experiences of a second ACL injury-an interview study

Annette Heijne  1 , Karin Grävare Silbernagel  2 , Mari Lundberg  3
Affiliations

"I don't opt out of things because I think I will get a sore knee, but I don't expose myself to stupid risks either": patients' experiences of a second ACL injury-an interview study

Annette Heijne et al. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe women's experiences with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and a subsequent ACL rupture, and to identify potential facilitators and barriers for coping with rehabilitation after the second injury.

Methods: Eight women between 17 and 36 years (mean 26, SD 6.5) who had experienced ACLR, followed by another ACL rupture, participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: One overarching theme, "Rehabilitation after a second ACL injury-A lifelong adaptive coping process", emerged from analyses. Undergoing a second rehabilitation is described as a process of adaptation, beginning with the first injury and still ongoing, more than 5 years later. Participants applied different coping strategies to adapt to these life-altering injuries, but the common denominator was of major life adjustments with no return to previous activity levels. Initially, after the reinjury, it was about coping with the catastrophe of the dreaded second injury. Over time, they accepted their "new" life and reset their recovery/rehabilitation goal not just as "return to sport" but rather as a "personal life goal".

Conclusion: Undergoing a second ACL injury is a long process that challenges the patient's coping skills. Given these results, rehabilitation programs need to be more person centred according to the patients-adjusted life goals.

Keywords: ACL; Re-rupture; Rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A schematic figure of the results
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. André M, Lundberg M (2021) Thoughts on pain, physical activity and body in fearful patients with recurrent low back pain - an interview study. Accepted for publication in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ). Personal Communication, Dr Kristin Archer June 21st, 2021
    1. Ardern CL, Webster KE, Taylor NF, Feller JA. Return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the state of play. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(7):596–606. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2010.076364. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bäck M, Caldenius V, Svensson L, Lundberg M. Perceptions on kinesiophobia in relation to physical activity and exercise after myocardial infarction – a qualitative study reflecting the patients’ perspective. Phys Ther. 2020;4:pzaa159. - PubMed
    1. Baez SE, Hoch MC, Hoch JM. Psychological factors are associated with return to pre-injury levels of sport and physical activity after ACL reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2020;28(2):495–501. doi: 10.1007/s00167-019-05696-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Burland JP, Toonstra J, Werner JL, Mattacola CG, Howell DM, Howard JS. Decision to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, part i: a qualitative investigation of psychosocial factors. J Athl Train. 2018;53(5):452–463. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-313-16. - DOI - PMC - PubMed