Preoperative kinesiophobia affects self‐perceived knee function and quality of life after patellar stabilising surgery

Abstract Purpose Kinesiophobia is an important psychosocial construct to consider in rehabilitation of patients with patellar instability, in order to optimise their rehabilitation and ability to return to sport and an active lifestyle. Therefore, it is important to investigate the percentage of patients with kinesiophobia before and 6 months after patella stabilising surgery. In addition to how it affects knee function and quality of life 6 months postoperatively. Methods A prospective cohort of 76 patients (mean age 22.8 years, 74% female) with patellar instability was included. Patients completed patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), including the Tampa scale of kinesiophobia (TSK)‐13, International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC‐SKF) and Banff Patellofemoral Instability Instrument (BPII), preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Those with concomitant knee ligament injuries were excluded. Statistical analyses included paired sample t ‐tests for score changes and Pearson's correlation for associations between variables. Results Preoperative kinesiophobia was reported in 47% of patients, decreasing to 18% at 6 months postsurgery. Significant improvements were noted in all PROMs, with the BPII showing the largest increase. Patients with preoperative kinesiophobia reported worse knee function postoperatively. A strong negative correlation was found between changes in TSK‐13 and BPII scores ( r = −0.605), indicating that reductions in kinesiophobia were associated with improvements in quality of life. In multiple regression analyse only preoperative TSK scores remained an independent significant 138 predictor of postoperative kinesiophobia, with a shared explained variance of 16%. Conclusion This study highlights the prevalence of kinesiophobia in patients undergoing surgery for patellar instability and its effect on postoperative outcomes. While surgery restored mechanical stability, many patients continued to exhibit kinesiophobia after surgery. Level of Evidence Level III.