My skiing buddy and I both had knee injuries in competition last month. It turns out we had the same injury–a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He went on to have knee surgery. My doctor said my knee will get better with physical therapy. Shouldn’t I have the same treatment as my friend?

Not necessarily. It’s likely your friend’s ACL was severely damaged. Your doctor may have determined that your ligament was only mildly torn or stretched out. In that case, physical therapy treatments can be used to help improve your knee function.

Your doctor and physical therapist will watch to see if you get full knee motion and strength. If your pain and swelling go away and your knee feels stable and strong, you may be able to return to competition without knee surgery.