Torn ACL Can Heal Without Surgery
Some patients have better outcomes without surgery.
For active individuals, tears to the anterior cruciate ligament, which stabilizes the knee, are common. In the United States, one in 3,500 people experience this injury, according to reports. The actual incidence may be higher. Many debate whether to surgically repair a torn ACL.
New research shows that some individuals have better outcomes with rehabilitation only when compared with those who opted for surgery for a torn ACL, according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2022; doi:10.1136/bjsports-2022-105473).
The University of Melbourne researchers in Australia evaluated ACL healing within 5 years of an acute ACL rupture and compared surgical versus nonsurgical treatments. Investigators found that 53% of subjects who had exercise-based rehabilitation without surgery had a healed ACL within 2 years after injury. What’s important about this finding is that future ACL injury management may evolve to include support for ACL healing, rather than reconstructive surgery.
“We are now trying to understand who is most likely to experience ACL healing and whether specific treatments can increase the likelihood of ACL healing and provide a promising alternative for ACL-injured patients,” said lead study author, Stephanie Rose Filbay, PhD, senior research fellow in health, exercise, and sports medicine at The University of Melbourne.
See also: High Genetic Propensity in ACL Tears
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
