An interactive cognitive-behavioural multimedia program favourably affects pain and kinesiophobia during rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament surgery: an effectiveness trial

ABSTRACT

Psychological interventions have been found effective in helping athletes cope with the challenges associated with knee surgery. In this investigation, an interactive cognitive-behavioural multimedia program was evaluated as a means of delivering psychological interventions to individuals experiencing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery in a field trial with 69 ACL surgery patients (30 women and 39 men; 24 competitive athletes, 41 recreational athletes, and 4 nonathletes; M_age = 35.01, SD = 11.98 years). Results indicated that compared to participants who received standard care, participants who received the multimedia program reported greater preoperative confidence in ability to cope, lower postoperative pain and kinesiophobia, and greater use and perceived utility of patient education materials. The findings suggest that the multimedia program has promise as an economical and effective means of educating and delivering psychological interventions to people experiencing ACL surgery and rehabilitation.

KEYWORDS:

• ACL
• knee
• sport injury
• patient education
• pain
• kinesiophobia

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by grants R41 AR48460 and R42 AR48460 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of Joseph Sklar, Mark Pohlman, John Corsetti, Thomas Dugdale, Christopher Lena, Gordon Zimmermann, and Courtland Lewis in conducting this research. We thank Mark Archer, Derick Cummings, and Janel Shurrocks for their efforts in multimedia development and production; Deborah Cupal, Paul Roud, Kathleen Grady, Lyle Micheli, Daniel O’Neill, Carrie Silver-Bernstein, and Lynn Snyder-Mackler for sharing their expertise in content development and evaluation; and Josie Scibelli, Stephanie Caminiti, Janel Shurrocks, Ianita Zlateva, Laura Jensen, Albert Petitpas, John Brickner, James Alvarez, Susan Barksdale, and Michael Zande for their assistance in data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.