The non-operative treatment of collateral ligament injuries of the knee in professional football players. An analysis of seventy-four injuries treated non-operatively and twenty-four injuries treated surgically

Abstract

Seventy-four ligamentous injuries of the knee in professional football players were managed without surgery during thirteen seasons of play. A success rate of 98 per cent in this group was contrasted to a success rate of 74 per cent in twenty-four patients treated with surgery in the same period. The criteria for patient selection included stability of the knee, absence of bone injury, and progressive improvement during conservative therapy. The treatment regimen avoided the use of casts and emphasized motion and exercises.