Adherence to sport injury rehabilitation programs

Adherence to sport injury rehabilitation programs has emerged as a prime area of interest in the psychology of sport injury. In this article, behaviors typically involved in sport injury rehabilitation adherence are described, research findings on sport injury rehabilitation adherence are reviewed, and theoretical, methodological, and practical issues associated with spelt injury rehabilitation research are identified and discussed. Primary recommendations resulting from the literature reviewed include use of conceptual models to guide research efforts, use of prospective research designs and standardized, psychometrically-sound measures of key constructs, and resolution of the question of whether enhancing adherence actually improves rehabilitation outcomes before interventions targeted at adherence behavior are developed, implemented, and evaluated.