Psychological readiness of elite rugby players at return to play after severe knee injury

Abstract

Merely passing a battery of physical tests is arguably insufficient for an injured player to successfully recover to pre-injury status. Coaches often lose contact with long-term injured players who are not considered for selection, causing anxiety and economic uncertainty for the players. This study reports on assessing the psychological readiness of elite rugby players (n=16) at return to play (RTP) after a severe knee injury and identifies any differences in the psychological profile of the players at the return to team training (RTT) and RTP. Sixteen elite male rugby union players  participated in this study and completed the Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury scale (ACL-RSI) and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaires on two separate occasions. The first occasion was upon RTT and the second when declared fit for RTP (available for team selection). The study reported significant positive differences (p ≤ 0.05) between RTT and RTP and found good psychological readiness at RTP. The improved scores from RTT to RTP give insight to rehabilitation professionals that players need longer recovery time as training exposure will decrease fear of re-injury and increase confidence in their knee function before RTP. Psychological assessment tools are available, and medical practitioners should include these measures during rehabilitation and at RTP.