SYDNEY, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at Australia's Melbourne University found that a new non-surgical bracing treatment may help people avoid surgery and heal from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, involved active patients with ACL ruptures ranging from the age of 10 to 58.
Patients were managed with the cross bracing protocol in the study which involved their injured knee being immobilized at 90 degrees in the brace for four weeks, and then the range of motion was increased progressively until the brace was removed at 12 weeks.
The research team hypothesized that holding the knee at 90 degrees could help to unite the torn ends of the ACL and encourage healing.
The study looked at 80 patients treated with this new therapy and found 90 percent of them had evidence of ACL healing on magnetic resonance imaging three months after the rupture.
Patients with more healing on three-month magnetic resonance imaging reported better 12-month outcomes including very high return to sport rates, better knee function and quality of life.
Lead author of the research paper, Dr. Stephanie Filbay, senior research associate in the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne, told Xinhua on Friday that compared to ACL surgery, this treatment is of lower cost, may avoid potential for surgical harms, and offers patients a possibility of healing naturally.
"You can always try surgery after the bracing protocol if you want but you can't try the bracing protocol after surgery. Some people (around 10-20 percent) may decide to have surgery despite undergoing the bracing protocol. This will prolong total recovery time, by around 3 months or longer," she said.
Filbay said it builds upon her recent research showing that 30 percent of ACL ruptures could heal with exercise-based rehabilitation, and people with ACL healing reported better outcomes than those treated with ACL surgery.
The research team is planning a clinical trial to assess whether this new treatment results in better outcomes than ACL surgery for acute ACL ruptures.
"In the future, the potential for the ACL to heal may be an important consideration when deciding upon surgical or non-surgical management," Filbay said. ■
