Psychobiology and the athlete with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Over the past decade, research has increasingly highlighted the need for psychological aspects associated with sporting injury to be considered in treatment programmes. However, contemporary practice continues to focus on the treatment of the physical injury. The purpose of this article is to summarise research and contemporary thoughts on the psychological aspects associated with sporting injury. The potential for incorporating both physical and psychological aspects into the treatment of injury is discussed with special reference to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Specifically, the potential importance of athlete involvement throughout the treatment programme is discussed. Additionally, the physical and psychological measures that are available to the sports medicine team to measure rehabilitation outcome are critically evaluated. The limitations of psychological measures of the athlete's perception of outcome are outlined. Evidence for the utility of the performance profile technique is critically evaluated. The technique provides valid and reliable measures of the idiosyncratic responses of athletes to injury to provide a framework for effective treatment for optimised outcome.