Psychological Treatments and Results in the Recovery After the Rupture of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Sports

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a major sports injury with consequences that extend beyond the restoration of knee stability and strength.Athletes may achieve satisfactory physical rehabilitation yet remain unable or unwilling to return to sport because of the fear of reinjury, kinesiophobia, reduced selfefficacy, altered athletic identity, depressive symptoms, unrealistic expectations, or social pressure.This narrative review examines psychological determinants of recovery after anterior cruciate ligament rupture, methods used to assess psychological readiness, and interventions that can be incorporated into rehabilitation.The Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) scale, measures of kinesiophobia, and self-efficacy instruments provide clinically useful information that is not captured by strength or functional testing alone.Interventions described in the literature include realistic education and expectation setting, graded rehabilitation goals, imagery, cognitive-behavioral strategies, pain education, relaxation techniques, and structured communication within the rehabilitation team.Recent systematicreview evidence also links poor psychological readiness with delayed return to sport, altered biomechanics, and possibly subsequent injury while emphasizing that intervention studies remain comparatively limited and heterogeneous.Psychological assessment should therefore be integrated longitudinally with physical rehabilitation rather than reserved for athletes who have already failed to return to sport.Individualized treatment is most appropriate when fear, low confidence, catastrophizing, or poor readiness persists despite satisfactory physical progress.