Kinesiophobia Is Related to Acute Musculoskeletal Injury Incidence Following Concussion

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Athletes with a history of sport concussion (SC) face a higher risk of subsequent musculoskeletal injuries (MSK).
• The specific mechanisms linking SC to increased MSK injury risk remain unclear.
• Kinesiophobia, or the fear of movement, is a potential contributing factor that warrants investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate kinesiophobia levels in college athletes after a sport concussion (SC).
• To compare kinesiophobia between athletes who sustained a time-loss musculoskeletal injury (MSK) and those who did not within 180 days of return to play.
• To determine if kinesiophobia influences the risk of MSK injury following SC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study conducted at a sports medicine facility.
• Included 56 college athletes diagnosed with SC who completed the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) and returned to play.
• Matched athletes with and without a time-loss MSK injury (1:1) and compared TSK scores and proportion exceeding the clinical threshold (TSK ≥ 37).

Main Results:

• Overall kinesiophobia scores (TSK) were similar between athletes with and without a subsequent MSK injury (28.9 vs 31.2, P = .10).
• A significantly greater proportion of athletes who experienced a time-loss MSK injury reported TSK scores above the clinical cutoff (P = .01).
• This suggests a heightened fear of movement in athletes with MSK injuries post-SC.

Conclusions:

• Kinesiophobia levels were comparable between SC athletes with and without subsequent MSK injuries.
• A higher prevalence of clinically significant kinesiophobia was observed in SC athletes who sustained a time-loss MSK injury.
• These findings highlight the importance of assessing kinesiophobia as a potential factor in athletes recovering from sport concussion and preventing further injuries.