Lambricht, NicolasCollet, AgatheAgatheCollet2025-05-142025-05-142025-05-142023https://hdl.handle.net/2078.2/32700Introduction: ACL tears are common in pivoting sports and therefore kitesurfing and wakeboarding, sports that have barely been studied. This study if the first to question athletes in these extreme water sports about how they deal with fear of reinjury and what they believe influence their confidence in the knee during the return to sport process. Material and methods: The 9 semi-structured interviews of both professional and amateur athletes have been conducted online, then transcribed. In parallel, the coding was realized with the QDA Miner Lite Software. Results: Ten themes impacting fear of reinjury and confidence in the knee emerged out of the interviews. They were classified based on models from other qualitative studies (Mahood, Ross and Casebolt models). The theme that particularly stood out was the presence of adaptations, both material and behavioral, that are very characteristic of these sports. The brace was the most discussed adaptation. It was described as a psychologically reassuring tool by athletes although it is not recommended by most health professionals. Conclusion: This research work is a first step in realizing how much athletes in these sports rely on knee braces. Further research should therefore explore this reassuring aspect of the brace. Also, prevention should be encouraged. Therefore, disciplines that are most at risk should be targeted and innovative adaptations found to diminish the risk of contracting an ACL tear for these athletes.ACL tearReturn to sportKitesurfingWakeboardingtext::thesis::master thesisthesis:39258