EFFECTS OF STRESS INOCULATION TRAINING ON ATHLETES POSTSURGICAL PAIN AND REHABILITATION AFTER ORTHOPEDIC INJURY

The efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention (stress inoculatio n training; SIT) for postsurgical anxiety, pain, and physical rehabili tation in injured athletes was tested. Sixty male athletes who underwe nt arthroscopic surgery for miniscus injury in 1 knee were randomly as signed to either treatment (SIT and physical therapy) or control (phys ical therapy only) conditions. Results showed that participants in the treatment group demonstrated significantly less postsurgical pain and anxiety during the rehabilitation process, compared with controls. Ad ditionally, treated participants required fewer days to return to crit erion physical functioning, compared with nontreated participants.