Can I wait 3 months for ACL surgery?

If you wait too long to treat a torn ACL, you're at risk of developing chronic knee pain and knee instability. Waiting to get treatment may mean that surgery is your only option. Or you may need to cope with ongoing instability by modifying your activities and giving up intensive sports.

How long can you wait to get ACL surgery?

For a complete tear of the ACL, reconstruction surgery is generally scheduled for between three and six weeks after the injury occurs. This allows inflammation in the area to subside. If surgery is performed too early, patients may develop a profound scarring response called arthrofibrosis.

Can I wait 4 months for ACL surgery?

That begs the question: when it comes to protecting the status of the medial meniscus, is there an ideal time to have ACL surgery? Other researchers who have looked at this issue have concluded from their studies that reconstruction should take place between three and 12 months after the injury.

Do you need ACL surgery immediately?

If you wait too long to fix a torn ACL and you start to get chronic ACL deficiency, the surgeon may not be able to fix all of your joint damage. You may still have pain and swelling even after surgery. It's important to have surgery before your unstable knee leads to other joint problems.

Is ACL reconstruction urgent?

An ACL reconstruction is not an urgent or emergency operation. The best outcomes from reconstructive surgery have been shown to occur in people whose knees have had some time to stabilise and recover. In the majority of cases, we prefer to rehabilitate your knee prior to undergoing surgery.

ACL Surgery 3 Month Follow Up w/ The Surgeon!!

What to do while waiting for ACL surgery?

What happens if ACL surgery is not done?

Without surgery, your ACL will remain torn. The knee might heal—the swelling and pain will stop. But a torn anterior cruciate ligament does not reattach or heal itself.

Is ACL injury urgent?

See your doctor as soon as you can because you may need an MRI or x-ray so your doctor can see exactly what type of injury that you have. You can treat an ACL injury with ice, rest, and pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. But you may also need physical therapy to get your knee moving normally again.

Can I live with a torn ACL?

Can I live a normal life with an ACL tear? Yes, but it may take some time before you're completely back to how you were before the injury. Whether you choose to have surgery or not, with physical therapy you will eventually be back to normal and able to live your life.

Can I live without ACL surgery?

It is possible to go through life without an ACL. Eventually, scar tissue builds and will contribute to some knee stability. However, it is not the same stability that an ACL provides. Whether or not you are a physically active individual or casually active, it is possible to maintain your quality of life successfully.

Will walking on a torn ACL make it worse?

Your knee is less stable with a torn ACL, and it will affect your gait as well as how your knee moves and bears the weight of your body. Walking on a torn ACL can cause additional damage to your knee, such as tears to the cartilage of the knee and worsening the ACL tear.

Can I do ACL surgery after 2 years?

They say there is evidence the body needs two years to fully recover from reconstructive surgery after an ACL tear. "If you look at the recovery of things like proprioception, sensation of your knee joint, they don't return until about two years after the injury," Hewett said.

How long is ACL recovery without surgery?

Overall, the length of recovery from a complete ACL injury is approximately 9-12 months if you have a reconstruction surgery. Recovery is shorter without surgery (approximately 3 months).

Can I walk on my torn ACL before surgery?

With both MCL and ACL injuries, walking will only be limited to short distances before undergoing surgery or physical therapy.

What are the risks of delaying ACL surgery?

If you wait too long to treat a torn ACL, you're at risk of developing chronic knee pain and knee instability. Waiting to get treatment may mean that surgery is your only option. Or you may need to cope with ongoing instability by modifying your activities and giving up intensive sports.

When is the best time for ACL reconstruction?

Various authors suggest that ACLR be performed at least 3 weeks after injury in order to avoid arthrofibrosis. More important than time alone, objective criteria including perioperative swelling, edema, hyperthermia, and ROM are important indicators of when surgery should be performed.

Should or should not get ACL surgery?

If your knee is unstable, surgery is usually recommended. If your knee is stable, nonsurgical options may suffice. Other determining factors include: Return to activities: If you must return to sports or other activities that require pivoting or sharp movements, ACL reconstruction surgery is usually recommended.

Does Grade 2 ACL require surgery?

Because of the severity in damage and associated symptoms, Grade 2 tears require longer periods of recovery of about 6-8 weeks and may even require surgical repair of the ACL. The decision of whether or not to operate can be made between patient and surgeon and will depend on factors such as age and activity level.

What is the failure rate of ACL surgery?

Can ACL surgery fail? ACL surgery can fail, even in the best of circumstances. It is generally felt that a well-done ACL reconstruction has about a 5% chance of failure due to trauma. The most common cause of an ACL graft failure is a technical error with malposition of the original ACL reconstruction tunnels.

How can I heal my ACL faster without surgery?

Can a minor ACL tear heal itself?

The ACL cannot heal on its own because there is no blood supply to this ligament. Surgery is usually required for athletes because the ACL is needed in order to safely perform the sharp movements that are required in sports.

What is the quickest ACL recovery time?

An ACL tear recovery time is generally eight to nine months, though some people may recover in six months.

Can I walk after 1 month of ACL surgery?

After 2 to 3 weeks, you should be able to walk without crutches. As well as specific exercises, activities that do not put much weight on your knee may also be recommended, such as swimming for fitness and cycling.

Can you return to sports without ACL surgery?

Research suggests that patients with stable ACL-deficient knees (no reconstruction surgery) can return to the same level of activity. They also experience the same quality of life as people who have undergone an ACL reconstruction. However, many people require an ACL reconstruction operation to have a stable knee.

Can a full ACL tear heal itself?

Full ACL tears cannot heal on their own. These tears almost always need to be treated surgically, typically using a minimally invasive approach called arthroscopy.