Surgical or Non-Operative? Options for ACL Tear Treatment on the Lower East Side

Does Your ACL Tear Require Surgery? We’ll Help You to Find the Answer.

It’s every athlete’s worst nightmare. A trip, fall, or unexpected blow to the knee—and, suddenly, the sensation of your knee giving out from under you.

Often accompanied by a popping sound, this traumatic description paints a picture of an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Within 24 hours of this injury, telltale ACL tear symptoms will begin to set in. These may include serious pain, inflammation, reduced mobility, a decreased range of motion, tenderness along the line of the joint, and a feeling of instability while walking.

If you’ve experienced trauma and/or symptoms of these types, you need ACL tear treatment on the Lower East Side. For athletes, in particular, delaying or neglecting treatment can have devastating effects. And, while ACL injuries are commonly associated with sports, they certainly aren’t limited to athletes. There is a wide spectrum of patients who experience ACL injuries — and an equally diverse range of treatment options available to restore injured ACLs.

When Surgery Is Needed—and When It Isn’t

Does your injury necessitate ACL tear surgery; or will ACL tear treatment without surgery provide sufficient relief? At Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, we are proud to offer a full range of targeted ACL treatment options, including both surgical and non-operative treatments. We will help you to determine the most effective treatment regimen for your particular patient profile and injury.

While a full examination and diagnosis from the knee specialists at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute is needed before any course of treatment can be decided upon, there are certain factors that tend to make surgery or non-surgical care more advisable, such as the degree of the ACL injury. Listed below are two situations in which surgery is likely to be recommended—and two in which it typically will not be necessary.

Two Cases Where Surgery Is Advised

Do you need surgery? If your injury or patient profile matches either of the following descriptions, you will most likely be recommended to undergo ACL tear surgery.

1. Grade Two and Grade Three ACL Tears
   Have you been diagnosed with a grade two or grade three ACL injury? If so, surgery will typically be needed in order to enable full healing. Grade two ACL sprains involve serious stretching, loosening, and partial tearing of the affected ligament. Grade three sprains involve a complete severing of the affecting ligament.

2. Athletic Patients
   Patients who participate in sports or have high-activity lifestyles will almost universally be advised to pursue surgery (unless their injury is exceptionally mild). Without surgical reconstruction, a return to athletic activity may not be safe or sustainable.

Two Cases Where Non-Operative Treatment Is Advised

Does your injury type or patient profile match either of these case examples? If so, you may be advised to bypass surgery in favor of non-operative treatments and therapies.

1. Grade One ACL Injuries
   Grade one injuries to the ACL are the mildest grade. A grade one injury does not involve any actual ligament tearing; rather, the affected ligament is slightly stretched. In grade one sprains, the ACL can still support the knee joint and surgery is often unnecessary.

2. Low Activity Level Patients
   High levels of activity can prevent healing and cause further damage to the ACL. However, patients with low levels of activity (especially elderly patients) may experience sufficient healing and relief with non-surgical treatments.

Rothman Orthopaedic Institute: ACL Tear Treatment on the Lower East Side

The specialists at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute have unmatched experience providing Sports Medicine treatment for thousands of patients each year. Whatever the nature of your ACL injury and your own lifestyle may be, our doctors will be able to provide you with the most effective, personalized ACL tear treatment on the Lower East Side.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please visit us here or contact us at 1-800-321-9999.