Inside your knee, multiple ligaments connect the joint together to allow it to move and bend. Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the main ligament in your knee—making it vulnerable to injury.
But it’s not always the athletes you expect who experience ACL injuries. While you might think of football players who get tackled and land wrong, ACL injuries are more common in athletes who play non-contact sports, such as soccer and basketball. No matter what sport you play, there are two courses of treatment for ACL injuries: surgical and non-surgical.
Non-Surgical Treatment for ACL Injuries
For nonsurgical treatment, you may take anti-inflammatory medicines, wear a knee brace and change your activities. For instance, you may need to change sports to avoid cutting or jumping. Nonsurgical treatment can provide long-term relief, especially if the ligament heals.
However, nonsurgical treatment isn’t enough for younger or active athletes who want to continue to play their sport.
Surgical Options for ACL Injuries
ACL reconstruction is a very common surgery, using a hamstring, patella tendon, or donor graft to replace the torn ligament. All of these surgeries have similar successful results.
But the right source of tendon graft depends on your size and what sport you play. For instance, while gymnasts have large muscles, they have small bodies. They may need a donor graft because surgeons can’t take a large enough graft from their own bodies.
Thanks to new arthroscopic techniques, ACL reconstruction has come a long way. The surgery offers a smaller scar and much better results for patients. But it’s important to remember that surgery is just the start.
ACL Injury Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation can take six months to a year as the body accepts the graft and patients rebuild muscle strength. Unless you are a professional athlete, returning to sports quickly isn’t worth the risk. Every time you play before you have your strength back, the re-rupture rate is much higher.
For example, if you return to play in three months, there is likely more than a 25 to 33 percent chance the ACL will tear again. If you wait six to nine months, that risk drops to under 10 percent. The benefits just don’t outweigh the risks for early return to sport.
Though recovery is long, with the right support and effort, most athletes will be able to perform again at the same level as they did before the injury.
