• Ahmed Almansour, Mohammed Madkhali, Msaad Alzhrani, Ahmad Alanazi, Mishal M Aldaihan, Yaser Hamed Alamri, Md Dilshad Manzar, Gopal Nambi, Mudasir Rashid Baba, and Faizan Zaffar Kashoo.
• Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, AL Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Nov 3; 102 (44): e35645e35645.

AbstractThe fear of re-injury may persist after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) in professional soccer players (PSPs) even after a successful return to sport (RTS). This study aimed to determine the extent of this fear of re-injury and the impact of demographic variables and this fear of re-injury on the lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) scores in PSPs who had completed a successful RTS following ACLR. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Sixty-seven PSPs who had successfully RTS after ACLR, completed a demographic information sheet, the Athlete Fear-Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ), and the LEFS. The average AFAQ scores indicated low fear (M = 10.2, SD = 6.7), while high LEFS scores were observed (M = 67.1, SD = 12.4). There were significant strong negative correlations between LEFS and body mass index (BMI; rs [65] = -0.501, P = .001) and AFAQ and BMI (rs [65] = -0.378, P = .001). A hierarchical linear regression analysis found AFAQ to be a significant predictor of LEFS (b = -0.92, s.e. = 0.19, P = .001), with a total variance (adjusted R2) of 32.9%. PSPs' fear of re-injury post-ACLR significantly reduced their perceived levels of lower limb functionality. This study highlights the need to further explore and develop strategies to manage PSP fear of re-injury to improve sports-related performance post-ACLR.Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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