Wednesday, July 21, 2010

ACL tears - new study shows rehab may reduce need for surgery


Knee issues are one of the main areas where Pacific Medways gets inquiries. It's an issue faced by many Americans. A common problem is an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury - in fact it's probably the number one knee related issue faced by athletes. Treatment is often surgery - and a long period of recovery and physical therapy. Many people delay surgery knowing they will have to face a difficult recovery. The promising news is that a new study may show that surgery is not always the first option to try.

The New England Journal of Medicine just released a study suggesting that rehabilitation might be sufficient -and that those with ACL injuries might not want to have surgery until there has been time to evaluate the effectiveness of the rehab. The NEJM article is heavy reading, but here's a good recap from the
Wall Street Journal Health Blog.

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