Women experience higher ACL tear and re-tear rates than men, for both physiological and psychological reasons. Cordelia W. Carter, MD, director of the Center for Women’s Sports Health at NYU Langone, believes that higher ACL re-tear rates in women could be due partly to the fact that women are more risk-averse than men.

“ACL tears happen in a nanosecond,” says Dr. Carter, clinical associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. “If you don’t trust your knee, if you have that feeling in the back of your mind, it’s going to prevent you from moving fluidly, and that’s a problem,” she tells Outside magazine.

Dr. Carter encourages people to better advocate for their needs during recovery by working with a physical therapist on the activities that may cause anxiety. “Practice those skills in a safe environment so you can then take them out into the real world,” she says.

Read more from Outside.