ArticleCureus2026
Conservative Management of Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture in Recreational Athletes: A Pilot Case Series.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Factors Influencing Consultant Knee Surgeons' Decision Making in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury Management in Athletes: An International Delphi Study.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimSurgical anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) remains the standard treatment for acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in highly active individuals but entails surgical risks, prolonged recovery, and incomplete return to sport in some cases. Conservative approaches enhanced with biologics, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or autologous conditioned serum (ACS), have gained interest as potential alternatives in selected patients. This study aimed to describe ligament healing, clinical stability, and short-term return to sport in recreational athletes with acute ACL rupture treated conservatively with intra-articular PRP or ACS plus structured rehabilitation.
methodsThis retrospective pilot case series included eight recreational athletes (four females, median age 32 years) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinically confirmed acute ACL rupture (<4 weeks from trauma) who opted for non-operative care. All received four ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of PRP (GPS III; Warsaw, IN: Zimmer Biomet) or ACS (Orthokine) over six weeks, followed by a standardized rehabilitation protocol. MRI evaluation at 21-24 weeks assessed ACL continuity (grade 0-3). Clinical assessment included the pivot-shift test graded according to the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) grading system, instrumented Lachman testing, the Tegner Activity Scale (TAS), and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score at 24 weeks.
resultsMRI showed restored ACL continuity in all patients (grade 0 in 7/8; grade 1 in 1/8). Post-treatment pivot-shift testing showed grade 0 in 7/8 patients and grade 1 in 1/8 patients, while the Lachman test was negative in all patients. All patients returned to recreational sports within six months post-injury. No re-ruptures or complications were observed during a minimum six-month follow-up after return to sport.
conclusionsThis study shows that intra-articular biologics (PRP or ACS) combined with structured rehabilitation were associated with MRI continuity, clinical stability, and safe return to sport at six months in recreational athletes with acute ACL rupture. This conservative treatment could be considered an alternative, and further investigation is warranted.
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