It takes roughly 12 months after successful ACL surgery for one to return to their respective sport when observed strictly from the physiological perspective. Athletes like Tom Brady and Alex Morgan went through this and still carried on as strong as they were before the surgery.
 
However, physical recovery is not the only factor affecting readiness to return to play. Additional challenges also include mental recovery, impacting the psychological readiness to return to sport which can, at times, contribute to the end of their sports career.
 
While it varies from person to person, it has been noted that there are several psychological factors that affect one’s likeliness of returning to the sport.
 
For instance, seeing as how athletes have shorter career spans than those in other professions, it’s been shown that younger athletes deal with these injuries far more efficiently and are able to return to play at a greater rate. A shorter time between the ACL injury and surgery is also a significant factor contributing to quicker psychological recovery. Lastly, female athletes seem to have a higher chance of belonging to the non-return group. Returning to sport before an athlete is psychologically ready has been linked to a significant increase in ACL reinjury, which can be devastating.
 
In today’s podcast, we’ll hear from our own Dr. Ashley Bassett, as well as Dr. Catherine Logan and Dr. Melissa Christino to discuss these factors that affect recovery after ACL surgery and psychological readiness to return to sport.

If you missed the first episode - click here for Injured Athletes & Mental Health part 1.