Review Question - QID 219477

A 20-year-old college football player presents as a transfer to his pre-season physical with complaints of left knee pain from an injury he sustained the prior football season. He localizes the pain to the lateral aspect of the knee. On examination, he does not have an effusion. Range of motion is 0-120° with tenderness over the lateral joint line. His Lachmann and posterior drawer tests are stable and McMurray's does not elicit pain or mechanical symptoms. His knee is stable to valgus stress at 0°/30° and varus stress at 0°, but has 3+ laxity to varus stress at 30° without a firm end-point. He reports intermittent paresthesias over the dorsum of his foot but no weakness in dorsiflexion. Dial test shows external rotation is equal side-to-side. MRI shows a complete rupture of the lateral collateral ligament at the fibular insertion. What is the next best step in treatment for this athlete who is hoping to return to college football?