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| This is not as controversial as it used to be. Children whose ACL has been torn do not do well. The problem is that surgery for a torn ACL involves making holes in the bones about the knee, and this happens to be where the major growth plates are. Surgery performed through the growth plates might affect the growth of the bone. This is particularly true in children with much growth left, and is of lesser importance to those whose growth is nearly complete. Ideally then, the surgeon should wait until the child has nearly stopped growing, and there are ways for the doctor to assess a child’s anticipated growth. However, this means holding the child back from certain sports, which is not a pleasant option either. |
