ACL tears are one of the most common injuries for athletes and often they undergo surgery to reconstruct the ligament. However, a new study suggests a non-operative treatment could be an effective alternative. NBC News’ Liz Kreutz shares more.
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#Surgery #ACL #Treatment
no it doesnt, depending on how long you are able, with the torn acl, better recovery could be with just care, nerves and tendons are just as what they are, know your limits, surgery isnt always the 1st option. even in a sensitive areas with complex nerves, medicine isnt cool enough yet, to be perfect in everything it does. material sciences would help that, bio sciences. everything could be exactly perfect in medical procedure, and medical practice.
So invent an indestructible silicone-based ACL for replacement. It would be better, stronger, and cheaper than a cadaver tendon.
If the medical industry had their way, they’d operate on everyone every day! They’d inject you with every vacsheen on the market! The more they can tack onto a HCFA 1500 claim form, the better right!? Why do doctors become doctors? $$$ Now you know the truth.
Where are these studies? And is the no surgery option for average joes or professional athletes? How can you cut and jump without an intact ACL?
Ya, as a former Div 1 athlete. I call bull unless you are getting PRP or Stem Cell treatment
Do you think it’s flood production like now that everybody started contracting the internet taking different rotations or energy taking different rotations and everybody own growth hormones and all that that now all of a sudden these smaller develop and particles or starting to explode and induce bigger levels I guess they shouldn’t have ripped some of my stuff out in the open
I tore my ACL in 2003 and it was replaced with a cadaver tendon. I tore that one in 2010. The doctor gave me a knee brace and told me to wait 5 years and then get my knee replaced (I was 50 years old). Now, 13 years later, I still have not had knee replacement. It feels better now than it did back then. However, I went on disability and learned what I could and couldn’t do. I also keep active. Both of my knees are braced with PTO braces to control my knee caps and osteoarthritis braces. So far I have no plans to replace either knee.
I literally just tore my ACL two weeks ago. Timing couldn’t have been more perfect
I recommend getting it. It might partly heal on its own but you could have serious issues down the line.
If it’s completely tore you’ll need surgery. I recommend you to do a lot of physiotherapy after surgery and exercise at the gym to stay strong and fit. Avoid any kind of contact sports and also sports like skating or snowboarding that will break your acl again. I’m 34 I had 2 Acl surgeries 14 years ago and that’s my sincere advice. This physical condition changed my life.
Question everything your dr tells you. Get more than 2 opinions if youcan afford it. Many Dr’s love to cut.
Kaiser Permanente actually makes money when they under-treat or do not treat people. Thats the last place I’d take surgical advice from. See your orthopedist instead.
I can tell you right now I absolutely had to have the surgery. I went 5 years without an acl, I could not play soccer without an acl. It took me two years of recovery after the surgery to be able to play again.
When I tore my ACL earlier in the year, my primary recommended that I get the surgery. She said I could have issues further down the line. Keep in my that I completely tore my ACL. My surgeon recommended at first conservative treatment but I opted for the surgery as I do play sports for fun. I advise anyone that has the surgery to wait until at least one year before returning to competitive activity. And build up the muscles in the opposite leg of the injury. Usually if you have another ACL it’s the opposite leg.
Typical of a Kaiser MD, always trying to save the hospital money. Avoid Kaiser!
Kaiser? Say no more!!
1 in 3 tore it again? Well they must tore it like they did the first time.
Get it reconstructed and strengthen the legs and don’t go all out as it will never be the same.
It ACL has been severed, there is no other way. Surgery is the only way.
Kaiser? Oh please!!! Go away!!
Kaiser always put money first before people. Just look at their class action law suit in so many different states.
It all depends on the patient. People watching this could be swayed not to listen to their doctors because they think they are only out for the money. This is a bad thing. People should listen to their doctor. Just ask them about non surgical options like physical therapy and braces. However if you are a pro athlete. Surgery would be the best option because you want to play at 100% and not 80%. But if you just want to stay active 80% of your physical ability could be enough to live that lifestyle. Surgery isn’t a silver bullet that works 100% of the time. There can still be pain and pro athletes can injure ligaments that were replaced.
Lastly just because one study says something doesn’t make it scientific fact. It needs to be rigorously peer reviewed first.
the problem is, unless you’ve known them your whole life and know their attitudes and beliefs, it’s hard to know if you CAN even trust your doctor, anymore.
But HOW does the body manage to successfully realign and reattach the ACL?
Good question. I was wondering the same thing.
It doesn’t. The ACL does not have a blood supply so doesnt really heal. When you don’t have surgery you basically have to build up the muscles in your legs to compensate
@Ordinary Catdoesn’t work that way.
Thank you 🙏 @Ordinary Cat
She’s pretty good hooper.
This is me! No suregery no problem!
Tore my ACL 2 years ago and did PT right after the injury. So glad I didn’t get surgery
Did you have a partial or complete tear. Big difference in the two.
@R3 complete
Complete or partial tear????
Kaiser is the worst practice with Orthopedic surgeries. Now they comment about ACL. Nice Joke 😂😂
I had a bucket handle medial meniscus tear and was recommended surgery, but chose to opt out of it and did PT and recovered in 6 months
I clobbered myself in the knee with a bucket once too. It hurt, luckily I survived and didn’t need surgery.
What about the sponge implant aid, zero mention
She can play
Pele and Maradona are soccer legends. Messi is, maybe Ronaldo. Megan from the US women’s team, no.
this news report seems irresponsible. it’s just one surgeon. my understanding is a fully torn acl will never grow back in it’s own.
i tore my right acl and waited a year to have surgery. during that year my knee buckled two times when i landed after jumping.
i had the surgery fourteen years ago and no knee problems since.
talk to a doctor you trust don’t just go by this news report.
I’m 3 tears in, had two repairs and my current tear I have not repaired and am only 24. Not sure if I will repair it. If I didn’t deal with so much pain, I’d never have it done. Hope the magical solution comes soon.
The study used Bauerfeind braces which are also the only braces allowed in the NBA. Have used them for running and they really helped me a lot.
I work in outpatient orthopedics, assisting in ACL reconstruction surgeries. This news is very patient-specific. Age is a huge indicator, so is lifestyle. A 15YO soccer player who wants to play again should get surgery, a 55YO weekend warrior may want to hold off. But both will do PT before surgery is even booked because the stronger you go in, the better the outcomes.
What if they have necrosis.?
Lol the proof was an anecdotal story from a 55 year old hobbyist 😂 give me a break
I’ve torn my mcl and acl
And meniscus in my left knee, no surgery. I’m 40 and play sports competitively. Stay away from surgeons, get in the gym
Anyone actually read the study? It has a very poor methodology. If it’s completely torn, it won’t magically reattach. If it’s partially torn that’s another story. But many people can still function without an in tact ACL, but it’s recommended to get it repaired if you plan on engaging in athletic activity.
-a doctor of physical therapy
SAME GOES FOR MOST SURGERIES. IT’S A RACKET.
Caveat Emptor, This is at best an example of very incomplete information . MRI “healing “does not equal functional healing, and there are many other factors that orthopedic surgeons consider to evaluate ACL function, and to determine whether or not patients are indicated for surgical treatment or are at risk for additional knee injury from an ACL deficient knee, ( such as cartilage damage, other ligaments etc. which can make the knee much worse), especially if patients attempt to participate in pivoting and cutting sports on an ACL deficient knee.
It is true that not all patients with ACL tears require reconstruction, and many can successfully be treated with rehab and non operative methods. It is also true that an ACL reconstructions can re-tear.
Ethical orthopedic sports surgeon ( and most are ) know this, (there are thousands of high quality peer reviewed articles published on this topic), and would / should communicate the appropriate information and risk /benefit to their patients to give them the opportunity to make an informed decision.
Unfortunately a lot of the story of ACL tear management was left out, and instead it left me thinking people are going to watch this segment and think ACL reconstruction surgery is unnecessary because one article showed MRI “healing”, one patient re-tore her ACL after reconstruction, and then opted for non surgical rehab, and was ok going back to basketball, and one family medicine( non orthopedist ) sports medicine specialist implied that surgeons may recommend surgery based on financial incentives , which is overwhelmingly not the case if one is dealing with an ethical orthopedic surgeon. So I would take this report with a grain of salt and find a good, ethical orthopedic sports medicine surgeon to counsel you if you tear your ACL.
Theres and Australian study where the knee is braced for up to 8 weeks and the ACL completely repairs. 100s of people have been treated this way. Disappointing that they didn’t mention it.
So you’re telling me a torn ligament just magically reattaches itself and all is well? Yeah sorry mate the math ain’t mathing here
So… does it regrow and reattach? Or does it just stay there flapping around in the breeze and other tendons and ligaments compensate?
Yes. The latter is exactly what my doctor told me.
Such an incomplete report… if you don’t replace the ACL then any time you do an athletic plant and twist motion with that knee without a brace (and maybe with one anyway) you’re going to collapse. The ACL facilitates that movement. Braces are uncomfortable and try to prevent normal movement (the movement you CAN do with an ACL). If you want that full physical ability you need the surgery and good physical therapy. Takes at least a year to fully-fully heal. I’m so thankful I got mine fixed. I would have been accepting much more risk of collapse (I frequently did with my ACL), and probably settling for less aggressive activities if I hadn’t. Mine was over 10 years ago now, new tendon was made from a piece of my hamstring, I think this is preferable to cadaver tendon if I remember right – I think they tend to be stronger, but check for yourself. I have not retorn mine. Thank you to everyone who made modern medicine what it is and to the medical team who did my operation and PT! Their expertise has blessed my life!
Maryam is a baller
Makes perfect sense…ACLs can just grow back magically. What a total BS story.
I don’t know why I got recommended this video but this is good info.
I damaged my ACL last year and I opted not to go for surgery. Its been over one year, and my knee is better. I heard about how the surgery procedure is done and knowing that the chances of reoccurrence isn’t that low, there was no point im to do the surgery in my opinion..
In 2015, I tore my ACL in a slow speed skiing fall. I went to a highly recommended doctor at HSS in NYC. He advised me to do nothing as the muscles and whatever else is in that area was compensating for the tear sufficiently for me to go on with life. He said it was a complete tear, like two ends of a cut rope – they wouldn’t ever attach to each other again.
I don’t feel like there is any instability, no matter what I do. I still ski, just like before the fall. Two years ago I skied 191 days, all terrain including moguls. Last season it was 180 days. I also cycle and swim in the summer.
I do not use a brace. Maybe I’m just lucky, but the doctor was right that no surgery was needed.