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Supporting Athletes' Return to Sports After ACL Reconstruction: A Study of a Psychological Readiness Program (UnbrokenACL)

9 ottobre 2026 aggiornato da: Inova Health Care Services

Evaluating A Comprehensive Psychological Readiness Program To Support Return To Sport After ACL Reconstruction: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether an online mental and emotional support program called ACL Unbroken can help people recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery feel more confident and ready to return to sports when used alongside standard physical therapy.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

  • Does the ACL Unbroken program help people feel more mentally prepared and confident to return to sports after ACL surgery?
  • Does the ACL Unbroken program improve recovery outcomes, such as physical performance, return to sports participation, satisfaction with recovery, and reducing the risk of another ACL injury?

Participants in the study will:

  • Continue to receive their usual physical therapy and medical care prescribed by their healthcare providers.
  • Complete surveys and assessments about their recovery, confidence, readiness to return to sports, and overall recovery experience.
  • Be assigned to one of two groups by chance.
  • If assigned to the intervention group, receive access to the ACL Unbroken online program, which includes educational lessons and activities focused on goal setting, confidence building, coping with fear of re-injury, stress management, motivation, mindfulness, meditation, visualization, and resilience during recovery.
  • If assigned to the comparison group, not receive access to the ACL Unbroken program during the study period.

If there is a comparison group, researchers will compare participants who receive the ACL Unbroken program with participants who receive standard care alone to see whether the program improves psychological readiness, recovery outcomes, and return-to-sport success after ACL reconstruction surgery.

Panoramica dello studio

Stato

Non ancora reclutamento

Condizioni

Intervento / Trattamento

Descrizione dettagliata

This study evaluates the ACL Unbroken Program, an online psychological support program, in athletes aged 15 to 25 years who are recovering from primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with a bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft. The primary objective is to assess whether adding the ACL Unbroken Program to standard postoperative rehabilitation improves psychological readiness to return to sport and patient-reported outcomes following ACL reconstruction. Secondary objectives include evaluating physical performance outcomes, return-to-sport rates, reinjury incidence, participant satisfaction with recovery, and the feasibility and adherence associated with the program.

This is a single-site, prospective, randomized controlled pilot trial enrolling approximately 30 participants. Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either standard rehabilitation alone or standard rehabilitation plus access to the ACL Unbroken Program. The study uses an open-label design due to the nature of the intervention, while outcome assessors will be blinded to group assignment when feasible. Participants will be followed for up to 24 months after enrollment.

The ACL Unbroken Program is a commercially available, web-based psychological readiness platform designed to support athletes throughout ACL rehabilitation. The program provides educational content and psychological skills training focused on confidence building, fear of reinjury, resilience, emotional regulation, recovery mindset, goal setting, and return-to-sport readiness. 15 participants, randomly assigned to the intervention group will have access to the ACL Unbroken Program in addition to receiving all standard clinical care and physical therapy prescribed by their healthcare providers.

Key assessments include validated patient-reported outcome measures evaluating psychological readiness, knee function, perceived social support, resilience, and recovery experience, as well as objective physical performance assessments such as quadriceps strength testing, hop testing, agility testing, change-of-direction testing, and movement biomechanics. Long-term follow-up assessments will also evaluate return-to-sport participation, reinjury occurrence, and participant satisfaction with recovery.

Psychological readiness has emerged as a critical factor influencing successful return to sport after ACL reconstruction, yet psychological support is not routinely incorporated into many rehabilitation programs. This study aims to provide preliminary evidence regarding the effectiveness and feasibility of integrating a structured psychological readiness program into standard ACL rehabilitation. Findings from this pilot trial will help inform the design of larger future studies and may contribute to improving recovery outcomes for athletes following ACL reconstruction.

Tipo di studio

Interventistico

Iscrizione (Stimato)

30

Fase

  • Non applicabile

Contatti e Sedi

Questa sezione fornisce i recapiti di coloro che conducono lo studio e informazioni su dove viene condotto lo studio.

Contatto studio

Backup dei contatti dello studio

Luoghi di studio

    • Virginia
      • Fairfax, Virginia, Stati Uniti, 22031
        • Inova Health System: Orthopedic, Sports Medicine
        • Contatto:
        • Contatto:
        • Investigatore principale:
          • Edward Chang, MD

Criteri di partecipazione

I ricercatori cercano persone che corrispondano a una certa descrizione, chiamata criteri di ammissibilità. Alcuni esempi di questi criteri sono le condizioni generali di salute di una persona o trattamenti precedenti.

Criteri di ammissibilità

Età idonea allo studio

Da 15 anni a 25 anni (Bambino, Adulto)

Accetta volontari sani

No

Sessi ammissibili allo studio

Tutto

Descrizione

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 15 to 25 years
  • Athlete planning to return to sport after surgery
  • Undergoing primary ACL reconstruction with (BTB) Patellar tendon autograft

Exclusion Criteria

  • Undergoing primary ACL Reconstruction with a graft source other than (BTB) Patellar tendon autograft
  • Multi-ligamentous knee injury requiring repair or reconstruction
  • Previous ACL Reconstruction on affected or non-affected lower extremity
  • Concomitant articular cartilage procedures
  • Patients not planning to return to sport(s) after surgery
  • Unable to consistently access wifi or a device to complete the Unbroken Athlete online modular program
  • Undergoing 1-1 coaching with a behavioral psychotherapist

Piano di studio

Questa sezione fornisce i dettagli del piano di studio, compreso il modo in cui lo studio è progettato e ciò che lo studio sta misurando.

Come è strutturato lo studio?

Dettagli di progettazione

  • Scopo principale: Terapia di supporto
  • Assegnazione: Randomizzato
  • Modello interventistico: Assegnazione parallela
  • Mascheramento: Nessuno (etichetta aperta)

Armi e interventi

Gruppo di partecipanti / Arm
Intervento / Trattamento
Nessun intervento: Standard of Care

Subjects in this arm will be randomized. They will not receive the Unbroken Athlete Program. Subjects will follow the standard of care treatment from their care team.

Sperimentale: ACL Unbroken Athlete Program

Subjects in this arm will be randomized. They will receive the Unbroken Athlete Program. Subjects will follow the standard of care treatment from their care team and complete scheduled online modules as part of the intervention.

The Unbroken Comeback is an online modular recovery program designed for athletes recovering from injury or surgery that focuses on the mental and emotional aspects of rehabilitation, not just the physical recovery. The program aims to help athletes rebuild confidence, resilience, and mindset so they can return to sport or activity stronger and more prepared.

Cosa sta misurando lo studio?

Misure di risultato primarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Following ACL Reconstruction at 12 Months
Lasso di tempo: 1 Year

Psychological readiness will be assessed using the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) Scale. The ACL-RSI is a 12-item patient-reported outcome measure evaluating emotions, confidence, and risk appraisal related to returning to sport after ACL reconstruction. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater psychological readiness to return to sport. The mean ACL-RSI score at 12 months post-operatively will be reported.

1 Year

Misure di risultato secondarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Patient-Reported Knee Function and Quality of Life Following ACL Reconstruction at 12 Months
Lasso di tempo: 1 year

Patient-reported knee function and quality of life will be assessed using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The KOOS consists of five subscales: Pain, Symptoms, Activities of Daily Living, Sport and Recreation Function, and Knee-Related Quality of Life. Scores for each subscale range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better knee health, function, and quality of life. Mean KOOS subscale scores at 12 months post-operatively will be reported.

1 year
Return to Pre-Injury Level of Sport Participation at 12 Months Following ACL Reconstruction
Lasso di tempo: 1 Year

Return to sport will be assessed as the proportion of participants who have returned to their pre-injury sport at the same or higher level of participation by 12 months following ACL reconstruction. Return-to-sport status will be determined through participant self-report and clinical follow-up assessments. Results will be reported as the percentage of participants meeting the return-to-sport criterion

1 Year

Collaboratori e investigatori

Qui è dove troverai le persone e le organizzazioni coinvolte in questo studio.

Sponsor

Investigatori

  • Investigatore principale: Edward S Chang, MD, Inova Health Care Services

Pubblicazioni e link utili

La persona responsabile dell'inserimento delle informazioni sullo studio fornisce volontariamente queste pubblicazioni. Questi possono riguardare qualsiasi cosa relativa allo studio.

Pubblicazioni generali

Studiare le date dei record

Queste date tengono traccia dell'avanzamento della registrazione dello studio e dell'invio dei risultati di sintesi a ClinicalTrials.gov. I record degli studi e i risultati riportati vengono esaminati dalla National Library of Medicine (NLM) per assicurarsi che soddisfino specifici standard di controllo della qualità prima di essere pubblicati sul sito Web pubblico.

Studia le date principali

Inizio studio (Stimato)

1 ottobre 2026

Completamento primario (Stimato)

31 ottobre 2028

Completamento dello studio (Stimato)

31 dicembre 2028

Date di iscrizione allo studio

Primo inviato

25 settembre 2026

Primo inviato che soddisfa i criteri di controllo qualità

25 settembre 2026

Primo Inserito (Effettivo)

1 ottobre 2026

Aggiornamenti dei record di studio

Ultimo aggiornamento pubblicato (Effettivo)

15 ottobre 2026

Ultimo aggiornamento inviato che soddisfa i criteri QC

9 ottobre 2026

Ultimo verificato

1 ottobre 2026

Maggiori informazioni

Termini relativi a questo studio

Altri numeri di identificazione dello studio

  • INOVA-2026-99

Piano per i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)

Hai intenzione di condividere i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)?

NO

Descrizione del piano IPD

The study team does not currently plan to share individual participant data, as preparing datasets for external distribution would require substantial administrative and resource commitments. If data sharing is pursued in the future, appropriate data-sharing mechanisms, such as a Data Use Agreement (DUA) or Collaborative Agreement, will be implemented before any data are disclosed to external parties.

Informazioni su farmaci e dispositivi, documenti di studio

Studia un prodotto farmaceutico regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Studia un dispositivo regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Queste informazioni sono state recuperate direttamente dal sito web clinicaltrials.gov senza alcuna modifica. In caso di richieste di modifica, rimozione o aggiornamento dei dettagli dello studio, contattare register@clinicaltrials.gov. Non appena verrà implementata una modifica su clinicaltrials.gov, questa verrà aggiornata automaticamente anche sul nostro sito web .