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Sports knee surgery
The pop, the swelling, the knee that no longer trusts itself. This section covers the injuries that keep you off the field or out of the gym, when surgery helps, and the honest road back to sport.
Injuries + treatments
Common sports knee injuries
Not every injury needs an operation. Each guide is honest about who benefits from surgery, who does well without it, and what recovery really takes.
ACL rupture + reconstruction
The knee's pivot control. Who actually needs a reconstruction, graft choices, the honest risks, and the nine to twelve month return to sport.
Read the complete guide →Meniscus tears
The knee's shock absorbers. Tears in the well-supplied outer zone can be repaired, and repairing them when possible protects the knee for decades.
Guide coming soonOther ligament injuries
MCL, PCL and multi-ligament injuries. Many heal with bracing and rehabilitation; the complex ones need careful planning.
Guide coming soonKneecap dislocation + instability
A first dislocation is usually treated without surgery. Repeated dislocations, or a loose piece of cartilage after one, are where stabilisation surgery has a role.
Guide coming soonCartilage injuries + knee arthroscopy
Keyhole surgery for loose bodies, cartilage flaps and the soft-tissue problems that catch and lock the knee. Honest about what arthroscopy does and does not fix.
Guide coming soonReturn to sport
Clearance is based on testing, not just the calendar: strength, hop and movement testing against the other leg before you return to training, then to competition.
Part of every sports knee planInjured this week? What to do now
- Rest, ice, compression and elevation for the first 48 hours; crutches if you cannot walk normally
- See your GP for a referral and imaging. An X-ray rules out fracture; an MRI shows the ligaments, meniscus and cartilage
- Start gentle range of movement as the swelling settles. A knee that straightens fully and bends well recovers faster whatever the diagnosis
- Do not return to sport on a knee that gives way, even if the pain has settled
- A locked knee that will not straighten, or a kneecap that stays dislocated, needs prompt review: call the rooms on (02) 7232 0014
Early assessment
Early assessment keeps every option open
Whether or not you end up choosing surgery, the first weeks of settling the knee and restoring movement look the same, and starting them early matters.
Bring your scans if you have them. At the first visit we work out exactly what is torn, what the knee needs to do for your sport and your life, and whether surgery, rehabilitation, or rehabilitation first with surgery held in reserve is the right plan for you.
If reconstruction is the right step, timing matters too: operating on a swollen, stiff knee makes recovery slower, so the knee is settled first.
What happens at your first visitHow I operate
My approach to sports knee surgery
Ask Dr Cooper
Sports knee questions answered
Short video answers to the questions injured athletes actually ask. Each card becomes a playable answer with a transcript as it is completed.
Does every ACL tear need surgery?
How long is recovery after ACL reconstruction?
Which ACL graft is best?
Injured?
Get the knee assessed properly
Bring your scans if you have them. You will leave knowing what is torn, what the options are, and what the road back to sport looks like for you.