Fatigue and Kinesiophobia: Examining Load in Collegiate Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Fatigue was hypothesized to influence the loading profiles of athletes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) who have returned to sport, and athletes after ACLR who have returned to sport were hypothesized to report higher kinesiophobia levels than their healthy, matched teammates. The aims of this study were to (1) assess within-session reliability of quantifying the magnitude and symmetry of average impact load and cumulative impact load in athletes without a history of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, (2) investigate the effects of fatigue on the loading profiles of athletes after ACLR who have returned to sport, and (3) evaluate kinesiophobia levels in athletes after ACLR who have returned to sport compared to their healthy, matched teammates. Ten Division 1 field sport athletes completed the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) and two trials of the unanticipated agility task; the trials were separated by a 10-minute rest period for the control group and a fatigue protocol for the ACLR group. (1) In the control group, the non-dominant limb displayed good reliability for cumulative impact load (0.794) and average impact load (0.824). (2) There was a non-significant trend such that fatigue altered cumulative impact load in athletes after ACLR who returned to sport (p = .051), and fatigue did not significantly exacerbate asymmetrical cumulative and average impact loading. (3) Athletes after ACLR who have returned to sport did not significantly differ in their reports of kinesiophobia levels relative to their healthy, matched teammates; this non-significant trend opposed the hypothesized direction.Bachelor of Scienc