What is the evidence to support a psychological component to rehabilitation programs after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction?

One of the main indications for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is the athlete's desire to return to his or her preinjury level of sports. Postoperative rehabilitation has a strong focus on recovery of the physical capabilities necessary to manage a return to sports. On average, athletes achieve good physical function after surgery, based on standard impairmentbased and activity-based measures. Yet the return to sports rate is disappointingly low; only two in every three return to their preinjury level sport and only half of the athletes return to competitive sports after surgery. There are a range of factors, many of them nonmodifiable (e. g. age, sex, and preinjury level of competition), that affect returning to a specific sport. However, recent research has identified psychological factors as key influences on returning to sports after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. This is particularly important for clinicians given that these factors may be modifiable with appropriate intervention. However, they are not systematically discussed during standard postoperative rehabilitation. In this review, we examine the evidence for the effect of psychological factors on return to sport outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and provide a rationale for the inclusion of interventions that specifically and systematically affect these factors during postoperative rehabilitation.