Surgical and Non-Surgical Options

When a patient with an ACL injury is initially seen for evaluation in the clinic, the doctor may also order X-rays to look for any possible fractures. He or she may also order an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan to evaluate the ACL and to check for evidence of injury to other knee ligaments, meniscus cartilage or articular cartilage.

Treatment options for ACL injuries include both operative and non-operative treatments. ACL tears are not usually repaired using suture to sew it back together, because repaired ACLs have generally been shown to fail over time. Therefore, the torn ACL is generally replaced by a substitute graft made of tendon. The grafts commonly used to replace the ACL include:

• Patellar tendon autograft (autograft comes from the patient)
• Hamstring tendon autograft
• Quadriceps tendon autograft
• Allograft (taken from a cadaver) patellar tendon or Achilles tendon

In non-operative treatment, progressive physical therapy and rehabilitation can restore the knee to a condition close to its pre-injury state and educate the patient on how to prevent instability. However, many people who choose not to have surgery may experience secondary injury to the knee due to repetitive instability episodes.