More Than Fear of Reinjury – A Multidimensional Experience of Reinjury Concerns: A Systematic Review With Qualitative Evidence Synthesis of Athletes’ Experience and Interpretation of “ <i>Reinjury Concerns</i> ” After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injur

<b>OBJECTIVE:</b> To explore athletes' experiences of "reinjury concerns" in those with lived experience of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. <b>DESIGN:</b> Systematic review with qualitative evidence synthesis. <b>LITERATURE SEARCH:</b> CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and ProQuest Dissertations were searched until January 2025. <b>STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA:</b> Two reviewers independently and in parallel screened studies for inclusion if they were (1) qualitative or mixed-methods; (2) included participants who were athletes with lived experience of an ACL injury; (3) reported the phenomenon of interest, "reinjury concerns," within the findings; and (4) published in English. <b>DATA SYNTHESIS:</b> We applied thematic synthesis based on Thomas and Harden's approach aligned to a constructivist paradigm and followed relevant checklists for performing and reporting a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis. Confidence in the findings was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (GRADE-CERQual). <b>RESULTS:</b> Forty-five studies were included, comprising 611 participants. Themes described how athletes assessed the threat of reinjury (theme 1), experienced reinjury concerns across a multidimensional spectrum (theme 2), and coped with reinjury concerns (theme 3). Confidence in the findings was mostly rated moderate-high according to the GRADE-CERQual assessment. <b>CONCLUSION:</b> Athletes' experiences of reinjury concerns after ACL injury were multidimensional and shaped by individual beliefs and contexts. Our findings support shifting from the narrow construct <i>fear of reinjury</i> toward a broader conceptualization of reinjury concerns that more accurately reflects athletes' lived experiences and may better inform assessment and clinical approaches after ACL injury. <i>J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2026;56(3):135-157. Epub 5 February 2026. doi:10.2519/jospt.2026.13852</i>.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
Published
2026-02-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2026.13852
Primary Topic
Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
Type
article
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article

More Than Fear of Reinjury – A Multidimensional Experience of Reinjury Concerns: A Systematic Review With Qualitative Evidence Synthesis of Athletes’ Experience and Interpretation of “ Reinjury Concerns ” After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injur

Cobie Starcevich, Samantha Bunzli, Mervyn Travers, Anne Smith et al.
Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
article

More Than Fear of Reinjury – A Multidimensional Experience of Reinjury Concerns: A Systematic Review With Qualitative Evidence Synthesis of Athletes’ Experience and Interpretation of “ Reinjury Concerns ” After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injur

Cobie Starcevich, Samantha Bunzli, Mervyn Travers, Anne Smith, Darren Beales, Brendan J Smith, Clare L Ardern
article en

Abstract

<b>OBJECTIVE:</b> To explore athletes' experiences of "reinjury concerns" in those with lived experience of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. <b>DESIGN:</b> Systematic review with qualitative evidence synthesis. <b>LITERATURE SEARCH:</b> CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and ProQuest Dissertations were searched until January 2025. <b>STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA:</b> Two reviewers independently and in parallel screened studies for inclusion if they were (1) qualitative or mixed-methods; (2) included participants who were athletes with lived experience of an ACL injury; (3) reported the phenomenon of interest, "reinjury concerns," within the findings; and (4) published in English. <b>DATA SYNTHESIS:</b> We applied thematic synthesis based on Thomas and Harden's approach aligned to a constructivist paradigm and followed relevant checklists for performing and reporting a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis. Confidence in the findings was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (GRADE-CERQual). <b>RESULTS:</b> Forty-five studies were included, comprising 611 participants. Themes described how athletes assessed the threat of reinjury (theme 1), experienced reinjury concerns across a multidimensional spectrum (theme 2), and coped with reinjury concerns (theme 3). Confidence in the findings was mostly rated moderate-high according to the GRADE-CERQual assessment. <b>CONCLUSION:</b> Athletes' experiences of reinjury concerns after ACL injury were multidimensional and shaped by individual beliefs and contexts. Our findings support shifting from the narrow construct <i>fear of reinjury</i> toward a broader conceptualization of reinjury concerns that more accurately reflects athletes' lived experiences and may better inform assessment and clinical approaches after ACL injury. <i>J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2026;56(3):135-157. Epub 5 February 2026. doi:10.2519/jospt.2026.13852</i>.

Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical TherapyVol. 56(3)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
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