Age and Sex Differences in Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury Subscale Scores of Emotion, Risk Appraisal, and Confidence After ACL Reconstruction.

Abstract

Background: The Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) scale is widely used after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but its 3 subscale domains of emotion, risk appraisal, and confidence are rarely considered when assessing readiness to return to sport (RTS). Current guidelines for ACL-RSI scores at time of RTS are derived from adult-only studies, and there is a need for age- and sex-specific data to guide RTS decision-making.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in ACL-RSI subscale scores by age and sex. It was hypothesized that males and teens would report higher scores on emotion, confidence, and risk appraisal subscales compared with females and adults.

Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: ACL-RSI data were obtained from a multisite clinical outcome registry. Participants were included if they were between 6 and 12 months after primary, unilateral ACLR. Sex subgroups (female, male) and age subgroups (teen: 14-18 years; adult: 19-30 years) were established and compared to identify potential sex- and age-related differences in the ACL-RSI scale (total, subscales, and item scores). Descriptive statistics were computed and multiple 2-way analyses of variance were used to determine main effects and interactions between sex and age group. The significance level (α) was set to .05.

Results: A total of 154 participants (mean age, 20.2 ± 3.8 years; 53.9% female; mean time after ACLR, 8.7 ± 2.1 months) were included. The mean ACL-RSI total score across the cohort was 67.92 ± 24.65. A significant main effect of age group on ACL-RSI total score was found as teens exhibited significantly greater psychological readiness compared with adults (mean difference, 10.91 points). A significant main effect of age group on the confidence subscale score was found, with teens reporting significantly higher confidence in returning to sport compared with adults (mean difference, 14.05 points). The main effect of sex on ACL-RSI total score was not significant (P = .337).

Conclusion: Teens demonstrated significantly higher total scores and confidence on the ACL-RSI scale compared with adults. Therefore, when assessing a teen athlete's psychological preparedness to RTS, target scores determined from adult data may not be appropriate. Sex was not found to influence ACL-RSI scores. Future work should strive to create age- and sex-specific ACL-RSI cutoff scores for successful RTS after ACLR in teen athletes.