Stan A. Einstein wrote:Before becoming a solicitor my wife was a nurse.I asked her about cruciate ligament injuries. She explained that the cruciate ligament went across as opposed to down, hence the name. (I know, obvious when you think about it.) Anyway I then asked how long these injuries took to mend. She is of the view that for day to day living a few months. Her further view was though that for an athlete, the answer was possibly never. That at the level of a professional footballer sooner or later, and in her view probably sooner, the injury would reoccur.
Unlike bones which mend harder, with ligaments once there is a tear the ligament was much more likely to tear again.
Would be interesting to know if they go with a Lars or a traditional operation. Lars (artificial ligament) are meant to be stronger but they are a bit hit or miss for athletes whether they fully take or not. You can come back earlier with a Lars too (6-9 months) than a traditional op (8-12 months).
BTW I am no surgeon so I am only going on what I have heard from professional athletes and their stories from around the clubs here in Australia.