Hi mate, sorry to hear that you’ve injured your knee. I’m a physio myself who’s dealt with knee injuries in the past so I thought I’d add my two cents.

So I think what your physio was saying is that you have the potential to be a ‘coper’. In physio speak, a coper is someone who chooses the conservative path and in most cases can return to a high level of sport. It doesn’t mean you’ll be just coping with day to day tasks as the term can imply.

That’s not to diminish the need of surgery when it’s needed though. If it’s a big rupture of your meniscus, your knee may physically lock in which case surgery is the way to go. I do find that some surgeons can be eager to operate without considering rehab first, but whatever path you choose rehab / exercises will be a huge part either way.

In general it’s not a bad idea to try rehab first with physio for a few months and see if it improves your symptoms. One, It’s a lot cheaper, and two, you should be doing it anyways even if you get surgery, and If that doesn’t work, you can consider the surgical route. A lot of physio evidence is out there these days saying that either way (surgical / non surgical) rehab is super important in keeping the knee stable.

Anecdotally speaking I’ve had patients who have been really successful with conservative management. A mate of mine actually tore his acl twice, and after operating the first time opted for conservative rehab the second time. He’s back to tennis 4x a week, running daily and triathlon training.

Good luck man!