Some ACL Tears May Not Need Surgery

Not every tear of a major knee ligament requires surgery, a new study concludes. The study focused on 121 active, young adults who had a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). They were randomly divided into two groups. One group received surgery right away. This was followed by rehabilitation. The other group had rehab right away. They had surgery later if needed. Of 59 people assigned to rehab, 23 had the surgery later on. The other 36 did not need it. Two years after the injury, there was no difference in pain or function among the three groups — those who had surgery early, late or not at all. But every case is different, experts told HealthDay News. For instance, high-performing athletes probably would need surgery, they said. The study appeared July 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine.