As more and more children and teens participate in organized sports at a younger age, it is no surprise that knee injuries are on the rise. Fractures and overuse injuries top the list but tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are becoming more common as well. And many times if the trauma creates enough force to tear the ACL, it’s enough to injure the soft tissues such as the meniscus (cartilage).
But as you have found out, studies do show that ACL reconstruction with meniscal repair in younger patients have better results than in adults. By younger patients, we are referring to children and teens who have not reached full bone growth. They are said to be skeletally immature.
It’s likely that while younger patients are still in the growth phase of development, their ability to heal is increased compared with adults. Growth hormones and other growth factors that aid in bone growth also assist in recovery from injuries.
There is also another reason why patients with ACL injuries combined with meniscal tears have better results now. And that is the improved surgical techniques designed to minimize trauma to the growth plate. In the past, any disruption to the growth plate (whether from surgical trauma or injury), could result in chronic joint stiffness and even growth arrest. If the bone stops growing prematurely for any reason, the child or teen can end up with one leg shorter than the other.
Surgeons are still researching the best way to repair or reconstruct torn ligaments and soft tissues of the knee in skeletally immature patients. Efforts to avoid the growth plate do seem to pay off with better results in the short-term. Long-term studies are not available yet. More research is needed to find the best way to treat each type of traumatic knee injury in this age group.