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NORTHEAST GEORGIA - [watch] ACL injuries usually lead to surgeries, sidelining athletes for months. But alternative treatments are on the rise. An ACL knee injury doesn't always require surgery according to new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"The ACL is what's called the anterior cruciate ligament and it's basically like a rubber band that connects your thigh bone to your leg bone," says Dr. Bruce Levy of the Mayo Clinic.

It provides stability to the knee especially when playing sports that require you to stop, plant and pivot. This new study looked at about 120 active adults ages 18-35 who had torn their ACL, and put them into two different treatment groups.

The first group underwent surgery shortly after the injury while the other patients received rehabilitation, meaning physical therapy, with the option of later ACL surgery if needed.

At the end of two years less than half of those in the rehab and optional surgery group had decided to undergo surgery.

Patient satisfaction, measured by knee function, pain levels and the ability to return to pre-injury activities, was about the same between patients who had gotten surgery shortly after injury and those who hadn't.

Experts stress surgery is usually the first choice for elite athletes who plan to continue playing sports that require quick changes in direction and lots of twisting.

Every injury and patient is different, though.

So check with your doctor for the best course of your treatment.