ANKLE RETURN-TO-SPORTREADINESS QUIZ (ALR-RSI)
Ankle sprains and ligament injuries are among the most common injuries in padel — the sport’s lateral shuffling and glass-wall play put constant load on the lateral ligaments. After a sprain or ligament reconstruction, the biggest barrier to trusting the ankle again is often psychological, not physical. The ALR-RSI is a validated 12-item scale — directly adapted from the well-known ACL-RSI knee scale — that measures exactly that. This calculator reproduces it exactly, with full citation, and explains what published research says about your score — without ever telling you that you’re “cleared to play.” That call belongs to your physiotherapist.
ITEMS — adapted directly from the validated ACL-RSI scale, with “ankle” replacing “knee” in the 7 relevant items
CRONBACH’S ALPHA — the internal reliability reported by Sigonney et al. (2021), indicating excellent measurement consistency
RESEARCH REFERENCE — average scores for players who did vs. did not return to their prior sport in the validation study
In short: the ALR-RSI measures your psychological readiness — not your ankle’s ligament stability — to return to sport after an ankle injury or reconstruction, across emotions, confidence, and risk appraisal. Answer all 12 questions honestly, get your score instantly, and see what published research says it typically means. This never replaces a clinician’s assessment.
Why Ankle Confidence Matters as Much as Ankle Strength
Adapted Directly From the ACL-RSI, for Good Reason
The ALR-RSI was built by taking the well-validated ACL-RSI scale — originally developed for knee injuries — and adapting it directly for ankle ligament injuries, changing only the joint referenced in the relevant questions while keeping the underlying psychological constructs identical: emotions, confidence in performance, and risk appraisal. Researchers validating this adapted scale found it strongly correlated with established ankle outcome measures (the Karlsson and AOFAS scores) and reported excellent internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96), giving good confidence that a scale built for one joint transfers meaningfully to another when the injury and recovery psychology is similar.
Why Padel Players Specifically Need This
Padel’s game is built on rapid lateral movement, sudden stops at the glass, and quick direction changes — exactly the movement pattern most likely to load a healing lateral ankle ligament unpredictably. Players recovering from an ankle sprain or ligament reconstruction often report feeling physically fine in straight-line movement and controlled drills, only to hesitate the moment a real match demands an unplanned lateral cut. That hesitation is not weakness — it is measurable, and this scale measures it directly.
Answer every question based on how you genuinely feel about your ankle today — not how confident you expect to feel once you’re fully back playing. The scale only helps if it reflects where you actually are.
Take the ALR-RSI Quiz
Rate Each Statement From 0 to 10
For each question below, choose the number that best reflects how you feel right now — 0 at one end, 10 at the other. Answer all 12, then press “Calculate My Score.” Your total is automatically converted to a 0-100 scale.
Understanding Your Score
What the Research Reference Points Mean
In the study that validated this scale, players who went on to return to their prior sport scored an average of 68.8 points (with a typical range of roughly 56.5 to 86.5), while players who did not return averaged 45.0 (typical range roughly 31.3 to 55.8) — a statistically significant difference. No official pass/fail cutoff was established in that research, and we’re deliberately not inventing one. These two reference averages are context, not a verdict — your physiotherapist should interpret your score alongside your physical testing, not in isolation.
If Your Score Is Lower Than Expected
A lower score is common after any significant ankle injury and typically reflects fear of the ankle giving way again — a rational response to a joint that has actually failed once — rather than a sign that your rehab has gone wrong. This kind of fear responds well to graded, supervised exposure to increasingly sport-specific lateral movement, ideally guided by a physiotherapist rather than avoided indefinitely.
This tool measures psychological readiness only. It cannot assess your ankle’s ligament stability, strength, or balance capacity, and it is not a substitute for clearance from your physiotherapist or surgeon. Use it as one part of a conversation with your clinical team, not as a standalone decision.
You know the feeling — the ankle feels fine walking around, fine in the gym, and then the moment a real point demands a sudden lateral cut toward the glass, something hesitates. Most amateur players assume that hesitation will just fade with time. What actually works is naming it honestly and working on it directly, which is exactly what this scale — and graded return-to-sport training — is built to do.
Who This Is For
Padel players in the later stages of rehab after an ankle sprain or ligament reconstruction, working with a physiotherapist toward return to play
Players who feel physically capable in training but hesitant or fearful about full-intensity match play
Physiotherapists and coaches wanting a quick, citable readiness check to discuss with their patients or players
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ALR-RSI scale?
The ALR-RSI (Ankle Ligament Reconstruction Return to Sport after Injury) is a validated 12-item questionnaire, adapted directly from the well-known ACL-RSI knee scale, that measures psychological readiness — emotions, confidence, and risk appraisal — to return to sport after an ankle ligament injury or reconstruction. It was validated by Sigonney and colleagues in 2021.
What score do I need to return to padel after an ankle injury?
There is no official cutoff. The validation study found players who returned to sport averaged about 69 points, versus about 45 for those who did not — but this is a research reference range, not a pass/fail threshold. Your score should be discussed with your physiotherapist alongside physical testing.
Is a low ALR-RSI score a bad sign?
A lower score usually reflects fear of the ankle giving way again rather than a problem with the physical repair itself. It is common after significant ankle injuries and is typically addressed through graded, supervised exposure to sport-specific movement rather than being treated as a red flag on its own.
Can this quiz tell me if my ankle is physically ready?
No. This scale measures psychological readiness only — it says nothing about ligament stability, strength, or balance capacity. Physical readiness must be assessed separately by a physiotherapist, and both physical and psychological readiness are generally considered together before a return-to-sport decision.
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