Should I or shouldn’t I? I’m agonizing over whether or not to have the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my left knee repaired. What’s the current thinking on this?

If the ligament is only partially torn, a rehab program of specific exercises may be all that’s needed. A large or complete tear (rupture) leaves the knee weak and at risk for reinjury. Surgery to repair the damage is usually a good idea in these cases.

For the patient with an unstable knee, surgery is often advised. Knee instability can be measured by how much the lower leg bone slides forward from the upper leg bone. This is called joint laxity. The doctor has several ways to measure this.

One other reason patients opt to have the surgery is in order to return to preinjury level of activity. This is especially important in the area of athletics. In all cases, the soon the ACL is repaired after injury, the better the result.