Repair ACL Injuries in Young Athletes Quickly

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Ganley and colleagues examined the records of almost 70 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery between 1991 and 2005. All were aged 14 and under.

Twenty-nine of the patients were treated more than three months after their injury, while the rest were operated on right after the damage occurred.

The study authors reported their findings Monday at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's annual meeting in Keystone, Colo.

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The researchers found that the patients who delayed surgery had three to 11 times the risk of some types of related injuries, including torn cartilage. In some cases, the injuries couldn't be repaired.

The findings are "basically confirming what many of us had begun to realize about these kids," Micheli said. "Some of us have been doing this, but I think the average orthopedist doesn't know this, and is very reluctant to recommend surgery on a 10-year-old."

Essentially, "it's better to fix something sooner," said Ganley. "It's like fixing your car: you can change a few spark plugs, or you can wait and change more significant things."

More information

Learn more about ACL injuries from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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