physiatrist

Do I Need to Have ACL Surgery

Do I Need to Have ACL Surgery

Do I need to have ACL surgery?

Let me tell you a secret; not everyone who tears their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) needs to have an ACL reconstruction. The fact is that in a room full of orthopaedic surgeons, you can't throw a cat without hitting a few who have ACL tears and chose to avoid surgery. The "honest" surgeon doesn't operate on every knee with a torn ACL; rather, the surgeons should assess the likelihood that an ACL reconstruction will actually benefit the patient based on his or her activity level, age, and risk for continued instability or ongoing injury to the knee. A very simplified grouping algorithm looks like this:

Do I Need to Have ACL Surgery

Do I Need to Have ACL Surgery

Do I need to have ACL surgery?

Let me tell you a secret; not everyone who tears their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) needs to have an ACL reconstruction. The fact is that in a room full of orthopaedic surgeons, you can't throw a cat without hitting a few who have ACL tears and chose to avoid surgery. The "honest" surgeon doesn't operate on every knee with a torn ACL; rather, the surgeons should assess the likelihood that an ACL reconstruction will actually benefit the patient based on his or her activity level, age, and risk for continued instability or ongoing injury to the knee. A very simplified grouping algorithm looks like this: