Pain Neuroscience Education in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation: A Review of Psychological and Return-to-Sport Outcomes in Recreational Athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/5qm7rx82Keywords:
Pain neuroscience education, Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, Psychological readiness, Return to sport, biopsychosocialAbstract
Psychological factors such as fear of reinjury, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing are increasingly recognised as key barriers to successful return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Pain neuroscience education (PNE) has emerged as a biopsychosocial intervention targeting maladaptive pain-related beliefs, yet its role in ACLR rehabilitation remains unclear.The objective of this article is to synthesise how PNE has been conceptualised, integrated, and evaluated within ACL reconstruction rehabilitation research among recreational athletes, and to identify dominant themes, evidence gaps, and emerging trends related to psychological and return-to-sport outcomes.Using a thematic review was conducted using studies retrieved from major scientific databases. Publication trends, citation patterns, and keyword co-occurrence networks were analysed to characterise the intellectual structure of the field. Research output has increased over the past decade, with dominant themes emphasising psychological readiness, rehabilitation, and return to sport. PNE was primarily associated with improvements in psychological outcomes, while effects on physical performance were inconsistent. Based on the current results, PNE appears to be a promising adjunct to multimodal ACLR rehabilitation, though ACL-specific evidence remains limited.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Izzati Iznan Azzman, Haidzir Manaf, Saiful Adli Bukry, Azliyana Azizan
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