Immediately following the injury it is best to follow the P.R.I.C.E.R principle. A 'rigid long knee brace' is sufficient for initial immobilization along with ice application.
It is however important to get an appropriate assessment done at this acute stage to confirm on the extent of injury. Missing out on this golden period of early assessment may amount to a neglect of certain associated injuries and then give substandard long-term results if treated late.
All injuries to the ACL may not require surgical treatment. Injuries requiring surgical management can be treated by special arthroscopic techniques (Key hole surgery).
ACL preservation / repair :
If the injury is detected early and the ACL is repairable, one can fix the ligament back in its original position and preserve the native ACL. This is especially true for ACL injuries with bone avulsion.
With the advent of stem cell technology, an advanced technique of ACL preservation has shown encouraging results in correctly selected cases. This is called the BEAR procedure (Bridge Enhanced ACL Repair)
ACL reconstruction :
All ACL injuries are not repairable. These would require an ACL reconstruction. In this procedure ones own tissue (hamstring tendon) is harvested and fashioned into a ligament. This is then fixed into the knee with small titanium buttons with a special arthroscopic technique.