When there is an injury to the cruciate ligament of the knee, can it be recovered?

A very common and complicated operation is that of the anterior cruciate ligament, with reconstruction of the patellar tendon. In an investigation conducted in Australia, 67 patients who underwent this operation were screened for 13 years, both objective and subjective criteria were used to determine how well they had evolved after the operation. At year 13, the group was reduced to 48 and of these, 96% reported their knee functions as normal or practically normal, and 93% showed good ligament stability. They also reported a return to sports activities.

However, at the end of the 13-year term, 79% showed signs of degenerative changes such as loss of movement, inflammation with activity and changes in radiographs, which may indicate symptoms of osteoporosis.

From this study, it is possible to conclude that patients of this operation can run and jump with absolute freedom for at least 13 more years. A positive and encouraging news.