If you’re an athlete or have watched enough sporting events, you may be familiar with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. They’re season-ending injuries that are generally caused by sudden stops or changes in direction. But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to tear your ACL, so it’s important to understand what treatment involves.

For starters, orthopedic surgeon Nicholas Weiss offered an encouraging statistic when he joined us on the For Health’s Sake podcast: roughly 90% of people who get treatment for an ACL tear are able to return to their activity of choice. However, successful treatment of an ACL tear depends on a number of factors, which we covered during our conversation. This includes:

Don’t wait to get help

Dr. Weiss emphasizes that a tear or suspected tear shouldn’t be ignored. “There are studies that show that if you wait greater than three months, the incidence of meniscus injury and further damage to the knee increases,” he says. So if you’re experiencing symptoms of an ACL tear, make an appointment today. Getting an expert evaluation is your first step towards moving the way you want to.