RESEARCH &
RECOVERY

Over a three-month period, I used tests and surveys to follow her ACL rehabilitation, capturing not just physical progress, but also her thoughts, feelings, and confidence along the way.

SURVEYS AND QUESTIONNAIRES

SF - 36

The Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) is a widely used tool for measuring overall health and quality of life. It includes eight sections: vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, and mental health. Her SF-36 results show tremendous improvement in bodily pain, greater ability to engage in vigorous activities, and an overall increase in happiness and calmness throughout her recovery.

IDKC

The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form is a tool used to assess knee function and symptoms from the patient’s perspective. Over her three-month recovery, her IKDC results show clear improvements—she can now perform moderate activities, including physical work, running, and jogging, without significant knee pain, and she reports that she almost never experiences major discomfort. The only area of concern is her ability to stop and start quickly, which has shown little improvement, highlighting the ongoing challenges of high-intensity movements during ACL recovery.

PSYCHOLOGICAL

The Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale (PRRS) measures an athlete’s confidence in returning to sport after injury. Scores range from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater readiness. Over her three-month recovery, her scores decreased from 26.5–27 in month one to 21.5 in month two, and slightly improved to 22.5 in month three. These results indicate a significant drop in her overall confidence, particularly in specific areas, highlighting the psychological challenges that can persist even as physical recovery progresses.

PHYSICAL PROGRESS

Over the three months, her knee pain has decreased significantly, and she is now able to complete moderate activities such as jogging, running, and daily sports drills. Despite these improvements, she continues to struggle with high-intensity movements like quick starts, stops, and jumping, which remain challenging parts of her recovery.

The Importance of Holistic Review

As I've emphasized throughout this website, the data from these surveys were a crucial part of my research because the patient’s perspective is central to the biopsychosocial model. A clinical review should not be based solely on physical return, but should reflect all aspects of recovery: the biological factors (injury, stress, nutrition), the psychological factors (coping mechanisms, confidence, fear), and the social influences (support systems and environment). These tests allowed the athlete to self-report her own knee function and overall recovery experience, rather than relying solely on a clinician to tell her how she should feel or when she should be ready. Recovery is not just about restoring knee function—it also depends on psychological readiness. An athlete’s coping skills, mindset, and emotional responses have a major impact on rehabilitation outcomes.