Is a knee reconstruction always necessary after a torn ACL?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-05-07 01:00

Australia; VIC

Photo by Omar Ramadan on Unsplash

Some people who have torn their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) may recover just as well without having a full knee reconstruction, according to an 'Insights' article from Australian researchers. The scientists outline what we currently know about the feared injury, which takes months of rehabilitation and increases the risk of osteoarthritis by up to 50% for a decade after injury. The researchers say previous studies have shown patients who don't have a knee reconstruction straight away - opting for a rehabilitation program with the option of later surgery if needed - can end up with similar knee function and quality of life to those who go straight to reconstruction.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: La Trobe University

Funder: Dr Dubé reported being supported by postdoctoral fellowships from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (327156) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (200938). Dr Culvenor reported receiving a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant (GNT 2008523) to his institution and receiving an honorarium as an associate editor at the British Journal of Sports Medicine and Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. No other disclosures were reported.

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