Can the ACL Heal Without Surgery? Breaking Down the Cross-Bracing Research
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In today's video we go over Can the ACL Heal Without Surgery? Breaking Down the Cross-Bracing Research:
In this live webinar for FPF Insiders Academy, we’ll break down the two major recent studies on ACL healing without surgery (Filbay & Porter) and discuss what the findings mean for clinicians working with active patients and athletes.
We’ll cover:
- Can the ACL truly heal on its own?
- Does MRI healing actually equal functional stability?
- What are the return-to-sport outcomes?
- Are failure and reinjury rates acceptable?
- Which patients may (or may not) be appropriate for conservative management?
- Practical clinical takeaways for rehab professionals
If you treat ACL injuries, work with athletes, or want an evidence-based breakdown of one of the hottest topics in sports rehab right now, this webinar is for you.
Maybe I'll get surgery...
- Dan Pope DPT,OCS,CSCS
Show Notes / Relevant Articles:
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Thank you!
Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS
References:
1.Healing of Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture on MRI and Outcomes Following Non-Surgical Management With the Cross Bracing Protocol. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023. Filbay SR, Dowsett M, Chaker Jomaa M, et al.
2.Cross Bracing Protocol for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Rupture Has Unacceptably High Failure Rate Relative to Surgical Stabilization: A 2-Year Controlled Cohort Study. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine : Official Journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine. 2026. Porter MD, Shadbolt B.New
3.Rehabilitation Versus Surgical Reconstruction for Non-Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury (ACL SNNAP): A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial.Lancet. 2022. Beard DJ, Davies L, Cook JA, et al.RCT
4.Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture. The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2026. Dubé MO, Ganeshalingam R, Culvenor AG.New
5.Initial Assessment and Management of Select Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Team Physician Consensus Statement. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2024. Herring SA, Kibler WB, Putukian M, et al.Guideline