Children and adolescents who undergo early surgical reconstruction after suffering a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) have much better outcomes than those who delay surgery or never have surgery at all, says a 2013 study.[1]

Reviewing data from six studies comparing operative to nonoperative treatment and five studies comparing early to delayed reconstruction, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that patients in the nonoperative or delayed group were 33 times more likely to have persistent instability in the injured knee than those whose ACL tears were treated surgically.