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

9 de outubro de 2026 atualizado por: 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.

Visão geral do estudo

Status

Ainda não está recrutando

Condições

Intervenção / Tratamento

Descrição detalhada

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 de estudo

Intervencional

Inscrição (Estimado)

30

Estágio

  • Não aplicável

Contactos e Locais

Esta seção fornece os detalhes de contato para aqueles que conduzem o estudo e informações sobre onde este estudo está sendo realizado.

Contato de estudo

Estude backup de contato

Locais de estudo

    • Virginia
      • Fairfax, Virginia, Estados Unidos, 22031
        • Inova Health System: Orthopedic, Sports Medicine
        • Contato:
        • Contato:
        • Investigador principal:
          • Edward Chang, MD

Critérios de participação

Os pesquisadores procuram pessoas que se encaixem em uma determinada descrição, chamada de critérios de elegibilidade. Alguns exemplos desses critérios são a condição geral de saúde de uma pessoa ou tratamentos anteriores.

Critérios de elegibilidade

Idades elegíveis para estudo

15 anos a 25 anos (Filho, Adulto)

Aceita Voluntários Saudáveis

Não

Gêneros Elegíveis para o Estudo

Tudo

Descrição

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

Plano de estudo

Esta seção fornece detalhes do plano de estudo, incluindo como o estudo é projetado e o que o estudo está medindo.

Como o estudo é projetado?

Detalhes do projeto

  • Finalidade Principal: Cuidados de suporte
  • Alocação: Randomizado
  • Modelo Intervencional: Atribuição Paralela
  • Mascaramento: Nenhum (rótulo aberto)

Armas e Intervenções

Grupo de Participantes / Braço
Intervenção / Tratamento
Sem intervenção: 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.

Experimental: 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.

O que o estudo está medindo?

Medidas de resultados primários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Following ACL Reconstruction at 12 Months
Prazo: 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

Medidas de resultados secundários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Patient-Reported Knee Function and Quality of Life Following ACL Reconstruction at 12 Months
Prazo: 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
Prazo: 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

Colaboradores e Investigadores

É aqui que você encontrará pessoas e organizações envolvidas com este estudo.

Patrocinador

Investigadores

  • Investigador principal: Edward S Chang, MD, Inova Health Care Services

Publicações e links úteis

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Publicações Gerais

Datas de registro do estudo

Essas datas acompanham o progresso do registro do estudo e os envios de resumo dos resultados para ClinicalTrials.gov. Os registros do estudo e os resultados relatados são revisados ​​pela National Library of Medicine (NLM) para garantir que atendam aos padrões específicos de controle de qualidade antes de serem publicados no site público.

Datas Principais do Estudo

Início do estudo (Estimado)

1 de outubro de 2026

Conclusão Primária (Estimado)

31 de outubro de 2028

Conclusão do estudo (Estimado)

31 de dezembro de 2028

Datas de inscrição no estudo

Enviado pela primeira vez

25 de setembro de 2026

Enviado pela primeira vez que atendeu aos critérios de CQ

25 de setembro de 2026

Primeira postagem (Real)

1 de outubro de 2026

Atualizações de registro de estudo

Última Atualização Postada (Real)

15 de outubro de 2026

Última atualização enviada que atendeu aos critérios de controle de qualidade

9 de outubro de 2026

Última verificação

1 de outubro de 2026

Mais Informações

Termos relacionados a este estudo

Outros números de identificação do estudo

  • INOVA-2026-99

Plano para dados de participantes individuais (IPD)

Planeja compartilhar dados de participantes individuais (IPD)?

NÃO

Descrição do plano 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.

Informações sobre medicamentos e dispositivos, documentos de estudo

Estuda um medicamento regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

Estuda um produto de dispositivo regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

Essas informações foram obtidas diretamente do site clinicaltrials.gov sem nenhuma alteração. Se você tiver alguma solicitação para alterar, remover ou atualizar os detalhes do seu estudo, entre em contato com register@clinicaltrials.gov. Assim que uma alteração for implementada em clinicaltrials.gov, ela também será atualizada automaticamente em nosso site .