Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common injury for active people and often occurs when twisting or landing from jumping. The ACL provides stability to the knee and when injured, people often report a sense of instability. This ligament is not good at repairing itself, and therefore the ACL has traditionally been surgically repaired.
Having said this, there has been some advancement in research which suggests conservative management (structured non-surgical rehabilitation) may have similar outcomes to surgery. The research suggests that improving muscle strength, lower leg technique and sport specific retraining could compensate for the knee instability.
Watching this video by Dr Clare Ardern provides more information on conservative management.
The decision on treating an ACL injury is complex and multifactorial. It should be based on each individuals lifestyle demands, exercise goals and severity of injury. This should be discussed with your surgeon, physiotherapist and family.
Reference:
Monk et al 2016 (Cochrane)