11/10/2025
A 2021 Systematic Review of 9 studies and 734 participants with complete ACL ruptures treated non-surgically found that all studies reported healing — none showed failure to recover.
MRI scans confirmed restored fibre continuity in many cases, especially in proximal tears supported by bracing, early mobilisation, and progressive strengthening.
When examining outcomes:
🔹 Every study demonstrated signs of ACL healing on MRI
🔹 No study reported an absence of recovery
🔹 Findings suggest the ACL has an intrinsic healing capacity, challenging long-held assumptions that reconstruction is always required
Pitsillides, A., Stasinopoulos, D. and Giannakou, K. (2021) Healing potential of the anterior cruciate ligament in terms of fibre continuity after a complete rupture: A systematic review. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, 28, pp. 246–254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.06.003