Translation and Cultural Adaptation of Traditional Chinese Short Version of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport After Injury Scale (ACL-RSI-TC)

To support anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) individuals in restoring knee joint function and reaching preinjury levels of activity, it is essential to monitor not only postoperative physical, but also psychological recovery. The study aimed to culturally adapt the short version of Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) scale into Traditional Chinese (ACL-RSI-TC) and evaluate its psychometric properties among individuals with post ACLR. ACL-RSI-TC was developed using the back translation method. A total of 150 physically active participants (61 males and 89 females, age = 25.22 ± 4.72 years) with 42 ± 36.68 months post-ACLR participated in the validation and reliability assessment of the ACL-RSI-TC. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, which measured the internal consistency among ACL-RSI-TC items. Construct validity was determined through factor analysis and correlations between ACL-RSI-TC and both Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11 (TSK 11). The ACL-RSI-TC scale demonstrated good internal consistency (α = .84). All back-translated items exhibited factor loadings within an acceptable range (factor loadings = .50 to .79) in factor analysis. ACL-RSI-TC scores demonstrated small to moderate correlations with subscales of KOOS correlations and displayed a negative and moderate correlation with the TSK-11 scores. The ACL-RSI-TC has reasonable reliability and construct validity indices in individuals with ACLR. We recommend clinicians integrate the ACL-RSI-TC into practices to enhance decision-making in rehabilitation and return to sport following ACLR while working with Traditional Chinese users.