Psychological barriers negotiated by athletes returning to soccer (football) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery

ABSTRACT

The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the psychological barriers that athletes returning to soccer (football) following anterior cruciate ligament knee reconstruction surgery faced and how they negotiated these barriers. Thematic analysis was used analyse online, open-ended survey data within the framework of self-determination theory. Two themes of ‘Fear of Re-injury' and ‘Self-Help’ respectively represented what barriers athletes faced when returning to soccer and how they were reportedly managed. Novel findings included identifying connections between athlete demographics, individual circumstances, perceived psychological barriers and needs, and their self-derived mental strategy. It also highlighted the need for athletes, coaches, and sports personnel to be educated and trained on the benefits of sports psychology during the return to sport phase, particularly when injuries occur at the local, recreational, non-professional levels of soccer.

KEYWORDS:

• Education
• injury
• psychological skills training
• qualitative research
• sport

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mitchell Kunnen

Mitchell Kunnen is a current PhD candidate at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst Australia. His research focuses on psychological readiness to return to sport after ACL reconstruction. His passion psychological readiness after ACL reconstruction stems from suffering an ACL injury during his undergraduate degree.

Rylee A. Dionigi

Rylee A. Dionigi is a professor in the School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, Australia.

Chelsea Litchfield

Chelsea Litchfield is a senior lecturer in the School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia.

Ashleigh Moreland

Ashleigh Moreland is a senior lecturer in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria and Adjunct Research Fellow of Charles Sturt University.