We are reporting the results of conservative treatment of concomitant
injuries to the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments of the
knee in twenty-eight patients (average age, twenty-eight years), who were
followed for an average of three years. Twenty patients had a good or
excellent result. Eleven of the fifteen patients who played contact sports
and six of the nine who played non-contact sports returned to their
preinjury levels of athletic activity. The older and nonathletic
individuals had the poorest final results. We concluded that in many
individuals with combined injury to the medial collateral and anterior
cruciate ligaments, the knee responds well when treated conservatively.