Torn cruciate ligament - typical ski injury - do you always have to operate? Knee injuries are the most frequent ski accidents on the slopes, accounting for about 30% of all injuries. Right at the top of the statistics is the torn cruciate ligament. There are various criteria that are taken into account when making individual decisions about treatment. But which treatment is the right one for two of my patients? Both love skiing and both injure their anterior cruciate ligament. Their stories could not be more different. Former junior skier vs. hobby skier, surgery vs. conservative treatment.

Torn cruciate ligament: Decision against surgery. Patient (56 years old) fell while skiing and injured her knee. Diagnosis: Injury of the anterior cruciate ligament. From the beginning it was clear to her that surgical treatment was out of the question for her, provided there was an alternative, because every operation is associated with a certain risk. What happened in the accident, how she was treated and how she feels today, you will learn in the following interview.

Cruciate ligament rupture: Decision to operate. Patient (37 years old), a sporty young mother of two sons, was about to teach her youngest son to ski when she fell in slow motion. She noticed immediately: There was something wrong with her knee. But the village doctor from the ski region assured her that everything was fine. 8 1/2 weeks later she decided to have the cruciate ligament operated. You can find out how it came about in the following interview.