Non-operative ACL Management - the not so successful side of management.

As awesome as it is to see some ACL injured patients show signs of structural healing, and some ACL injured patients have a successful return to sport without ACLR, it's important to understand it doesn't always happen - here's my thoughts on this topic.

[jmaphysio]

its in our nature to only highlight the success stories. great video on being more realistic with outcomes mick!

[billsmart]

Are there any drawbacks to postponed surgery vs immediate for ACL reconstruction? ie. Waiting to see evidence or not of tissue healing first? Thanks for the video

[emmaholdaway]

Thanks for the video, are there any indicators that could help make this decision? All sources I could find left the decision to have surgery or not fully up to the patient without much for them to go on. Most of the time the decision was obviously surgery. But when it is not an easy call, they are on their own.
Could indivitual information from their knee health and recovery history, running style, posture, or measures of stability after the injury count toward a decision? Would an MRI right after the injury and 3 months post injury indicate if healing is happening?
Could patients work with the blindness of non-operative rehab, and observe early responses as a way of gathering this information? There has got to be something to aid the decision?

[zikomo]

May I highlight my (still ongoing case), got knee pain Aug 2021, diagnosis from MRI in Feb 2022, partial acl tear. I did rehab for 3 months, got good results, minimal pain, except no running, jumping. But later developed stubborn pain in the opposite hip. Had a lot of stuff going on in life, so had to discontinue the rehab. I started rehabbing on my own(basically Strength training, bodyweight squats lunges) until one day I got pain back in my knee in November this year and i started losing muscle again in my knee.
Went to ortho, and he said that since an MRI done in Sept 2022 shows acl is fine. And clinical tests are negative, it may have healed.

If it's healed then why is my knee hurting, feels weak and clicks every now and then.

I hope my ACL has actually healed and it's just muscle atrophy causing my issues. Sometimes I wonder if full acl tear is better due to no such uncertainties.