Will an ACL Tear Heal on Its Own?

Your knees are central to your ability to move. Your knee joints help you stay stable when you stand and engage in physical activity. When you hurt a knee, it’s hard to walk, and you may have difficulty performing daily tasks. One of the most common knee injuries is damage to a ligament, the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. 

Your knee joint has many moving parts, including three ligaments and bands of strong tissue connecting your thigh to your shin bone. If you’ve injured your ACL, you’re likely wondering whether the ligament will heal independently or need surgery. 

Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Shults with Coastal Empire Orthopedics sees many patients with ACL injuries. After examining your knee, reviewing your medical history, seeing imaging tests, and assessing your preferred level of physical activity, Dr. Shults lets you know what type of treatment you need. 

Grades of ACL injury

A Grade One injury means you’ve stretched the ligament past its normal limits, but it’s still intact and holding your knee in place. A Grade two injury means you have a partial tear in the ligament so that it’s become loose, which may cause some instability in your knee. A grade three injury means you’ve severed the ACL; it’s not in one piece anymore. The grade of injury and injury to other parts of the knee surrounding the ACL determines the type of treatment. 

Treatment for ACL tears 

ACL tears won’t heal on their own. Ligaments aren’t vascularized; blood can’t rush nutrients to the injured site. 

Treatment depends on the type of tear. If you have a partial tear with little surrounding damage, you likely won’t need surgery unless the knee is unstable and starts to buckle when you’re active. You’ll use the RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation) to calm pain and swelling. 

However, if you damage other parts of your knee, you’re an athlete involved in competitive play, and your knee is painful or unstable, you may need surgery. When an ACL is injured, you may also sustain damage to one or more of your three other knee ligaments, as well as tendons and bones. Dr. Shults will let you know exactly what your injuries are. 

If you have a grade three ACL tear, you’ll most likely have surgery. If you’re an athlete, your knee won’t support you in competitive play unless the ligament is repaired. When you have a full tear, you’ll likely have collateral damage that needs repair. You may have ongoing discomfort that can’t be relieved without surgery. 

There are exceptions to the rule when you have a grade three ACL tear. If you’re older and aren’t physically active but can walk and aren’t in pain, you may not want to go through the surgery. An ACL procedure requires time and effort, including weeks of physical therapy. If you can walk normally, don’t feel unstable, and aren’t in pain once the initial inflammation has subsided, you may choose not to have surgery.  

Call Coastal Empire Orthopedics or book an appointment online today if you have a knee injury and all your orthopedic needs.