03 — TREATMENT
Conservative care or surgery: two paths, one functional goal.
Treatment aims for a stable, capable knee for daily life and activities. Surgery never replaces preparation or rehabilitation.
01
Before surgery: prehabilitation
Restoring extension, reducing effusion, reactivating the quadriceps, and learning exercises can improve the early postoperative course.
- Goals are set with the surgeon and physiotherapist.
- Pain and swelling are monitored rather than simply pushed through.
- Instructions change if a meniscal repair or another procedure is performed.
02
Reconstruction and grafts
Reconstruction usually uses an autograft tendon. The choice depends on history, sport, body characteristics, and preferences discussed with the surgeon.
- Hamstring graft: tendon taken from the back of the thigh.
- Patellar tendon graft: an option with its own features and trade-offs.
- Quadriceps tendon graft: another common option; no graft is best for everyone.
Medical notice
This educational resource does not provide a diagnosis and does not replace your doctor, surgeon, or physiotherapist. Seek prompt medical advice for unusual pain or swelling, locking, fever, calf pain, or loss of function.
Clinical references and resources