Caparica

Kinesiophobia is an excessive and irrational fear of physical movement due to perceived risk of injury. It often hinders physical activity and rehabilitation, especially following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). This fear negatively impacts physical function, return to sports, and overall patient performance. Traditional assessment using the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) may not fully capture specific fears related to sports activities common in ACLR patients, prompting research into alternative evaluation methods that focus on fear triggered by specific movements. The study compares three ways of measuring fear of movement in ACLR patients: the TSK, subjective fear during visualization of feared movements, and fear anticipation before performing the movement. Participants will undergo three experimental conditions while walking on a treadmill: visualizing neutral images, visualizing images related to feared sports movements (like cutting and jumping), and watching a video of a feared movement while anticipating its performance. Each exposure lasts 10 minutes, allowing researchers to assess motor behavior and autonomic nervous system responses. Participants will be monitored during these treadmill sessions, with measures including fractal scaling exponent, heart rate variability, skin conductance, and blood pressure variability. Researchers will also evaluate fear-avoidance beliefs, anxiety, avoidance behavior, and physical function. This comprehensive assessment aims to better understand the relationship between different fear measures and physiological and behavioral responses in ACLR patients aged 18 to 35 still undergoing rehabilitation.