ACL tears don't heal and need to be replaced

The problem with ACL tears is that they normally will not heal properly without surgery. The acute pain and swelling will resolve but because the ligament does not heal and the anatomically correct position and they will likely become unstable And lead to permanent long term damage to the knee. I recommend that he be seen by an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. As soon as possible.

15 year old probably needs surgery. Needs proper evaluation and rehab initially.

It depends on the tear. Complete or more than half torn may need surgery.

Good afternoon. First before any time frame is set, you would need to get an MRI validate that it is a torn ACL. Also, is it only an ACL, or does it have a meniscus tear, etc. Does he need surgery? These are the factors to take into consideration. If he does need surgery, and goes thru a proper rehab protocol 6-12 months, to get back depending on the progress. I do not know where you live but if you need an orthopedic referal and or PT please let us know.

Hi,

Torn ACLs typically don’t heal on their own. They need to be surgically reconstructed if in fact he wants to play a sport that involves a lot of cutting and change of direction. It also requires a lot of physical therapy to rehab the knee. Typically, recovery time is between 6-9 months, sometimes longer. If he doesn’t want to play that type of sport surgery isn’t necessary, but still a lot of physical therapy should be done to strengthen the muscles supporting the knee. You are welcome to see me in clinic or via telemedicine.
Hope this helps!

Dr. Dehkordi

A complete ACL tear needs a surgical reconstruction which takes 4-5 months to heal & return to sports in 8-12 months. A partial tear would take 3 months to heal.

It depends whether it’s a partial or full thickness tear. Partial tears can take up to 6 to 8 weeks or longer to heal but usually require some type of immobilization initially. Full thickness tears will not heal and he may need to seek further treatment with an orthopedic surgeon.

The ACL is a very strong ligament and does not heal on its own. That doesn’t mean that all people will choose to have an ACL reconstruction surgery but if your son is an athlete who makes cutting moves like in football, soccer and lacrosse, he will need surgery to get back to play. He’ll miss a season while in recovery. Some choose to focus on physical therapy without surgery. Contact a local sports medicine or orthopedic surgeon for guidance.

The Acl does not heal. It usually needs surgery