Adherence to Sports-Injury Rehabilitation Programs

In brief: Forty-one injured collegiate athletes completed a rehabilitation adherence questionnaire, addressing the following factors: perceived exertion, pain tolerance, self-motivation, support from significant others, scheduling, and environmental conditions. Multivariate analysis showed a significant difference between the athletes who adhered to their rehabilitation program and those who did not. Those who adhered reported that they (1) were more self-motivated, (2) tolerated pain better, (3) perceived that they worked harder at their rehabilitation, and (4) were less bothered by scheduling of sessions and environmental conditions of athletic training. Based on these findings, the authors suggest ways to enhance rehabilitation adherence.