Throughout Geezer’s lengthy adulthood, ACL tears were quickly referred to surgeons, more than happy to do the repair, whose total cost comes to about $25,000. Now comes a whole new treatment–no surgery needed- based on the recent finding that many ACL tears appear to repair themselves. The Washington Post reports on a study (actually a second look at an older study of 120 ACL tears, some of which had been surgically repaired and some not) that found that two years post injury, about 30 percent of ACL tears that had not been surgically repaired had begun to repair themselves.
Encouraged, the researchers and a small group of medical experts developed a bracing protocol designed to speed ACL mending. How’s that working? Pretty good, but far enough from perfect that many experts dismiss the research, also the therapy, and any hope of ACLs healing without medical intervention. Read more about the controversy and possible treatment in the Washington Post.