Operative Versus Conservative Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture

On the basis of RCTs published to date, it cannot be definitively con- cluded whether surgery or conservative (expectant) management of ACL rupture yields a better functional outcome. There is a trend in observational studies toward better functional outcomes after ACL reconstruction. As an average across studies, conservative treatment fails in 17.5% (± 15.5%) of patients.