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Sports Medicine in Argentina: Costs, Treatments, and Travel
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Sports medicine in Argentina concentrates in Buenos Aires and Córdoba, where Newsweek ranks 10 hospitals for knee surgery and 9 for shoulder surgery.
Argentine surgeons price each case after reviewing your MRI and reports, so you have a written quote before you book. Rehabilitation starts in Argentina and continues at home with your US physical therapist.
Medical Tourism Packages (MTP) arranges your treatment, travel and recovery lodging in English and Spanish, and follows up after you return home.
What Is Sports Medicine, and Why Do US Patients Choose Argentina?
Sports medicine treats injuries to ligaments, tendons, cartilage and muscle, and US patients choose Argentina for its ranked private hospitals and certified orthopedic surgeons:
- Ranked hospitals: seven of the ten knee-list hospitals are in Buenos Aires, one in Pilar (greater Buenos Aires) and two in Córdoba. Of the nine on the shoulder list, six are in Buenos Aires, one in Pilar and two in Córdoba. The best-placed Argentine hospital ranks third in the region on both lists. Newsweek publishes no sports medicine list, so its knee and shoulder rankings are the closest guide.
- Certified surgeons: Argentina’s orthopedic association (AAOT) certifies surgeons through a three-year course and a specialist exam.
Our guides also cover sports medicine in Colombia and sports medicine in Mexico.
Which Sports Injuries Can You Treat in Argentina?
You can treat torn ACLs, meniscus tears and rotator cuff tears in Argentina, and a Córdoba hospital offers PRP injections. Kinesiologists, the Argentine physical therapists, handle rehabilitation. Our guide to orthopedic surgery in Argentina covers joint and spine care beyond sports injuries.
ACL Reconstruction
ACL reconstruction replaces a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the band that steadies your knee, with a tendon graft. The surgeon takes the graft from your hamstring or patellar tendon and places it through keyhole surgery. A Buenos Aires university hospital performs ACL reconstruction. Some patients regain a stable knee with physical therapy alone. Reconstruction becomes likely if the knee keeps giving way or you cannot return to your sport. After ACL reconstruction, 81% of patients return to some sport. Of all patients, 65% reach their preinjury level and 55% compete again, according to a review of 69 studies.
Meniscus Tears and Knee Arthroscopy
Knee arthroscopy is keyhole surgery that repairs or trims a torn meniscus, the cartilage cushion between your thighbone and shinbone. Both Buenos Aires and Córdoba offer it. A tear in the outer third of the meniscus has a rich blood supply and may heal or be repaired. A tear in the inner two-thirds has little blood supply and is usually trimmed. Read our guide to knee replacement in Argentina if worn-out cartilage from arthritis causes your knee pain.
Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Surgery
Rotator cuff repair reattaches a torn shoulder tendon to the bone. Surgeons in Buenos Aires perform it with keyhole techniques, and a Córdoba private hospital offers arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Nonsurgical treatment helps about 80 to 85% of patients with a rotator cuff tear, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Surgery becomes an option when symptoms last 6 to 12 months or the tear is larger than 3 cm (about 1.2 inches). It is also an option for a very weak shoulder or a tear from a sudden injury.
Is PRP Worth Trying for a Sports Injury?
PRP, an injection of platelets concentrated from your blood, may be worth trying after standard treatment fails, though its evidence for sports injuries is limited. A 2021 review of 27 knee arthritis guidelines found 9 PRP recommendations that made no firm call for or against it.
How Much Does Sports Injury Surgery Cost in Argentina Compared With the US?
Argentine surgeons quote each case after an MRI review, and uninsured US patients pay on average USD 12,800 for ACL surgery (May 2026).
| Procedure | US self-pay price (Argentina quotes each case) |
|---|---|
| ACL reconstruction | USD 12,800 average (hospital price files, May 2026); USD 6,000 to 25,000 range, plus physical therapy (consumer cost guide, September 2026) |
| Meniscus repair | USD 8,300 average (hospital price files, May 2026) |
| Rotator cuff repair | USD 9,900 average (hospital price files, May 2026) |
| PRP injection (knee) | USD 400 to 2,800, median USD 800 (study of top US orthopedic hospitals, 2023) |
A US knee MRI adds USD 300 to 1,500, and a brace and crutches add USD 100 to 600. US physical therapy is billed separately. One Córdoba medical-travel company listed knee arthroscopy at USD 3,500 in June 2025. The price covered the surgeon, anesthesia, operating and recovery rooms, supplies and follow-up visits.
What Should Your Written Quote Include?
Your written quote should list each cost separately. Check for these lines:
- Who bills you: the surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the hospital.
- Anesthesia type: the kind planned, such as spinal or general.
- Graft and hardware: the graft source and any anchors or screws.
- Imaging and visits: any scans, tests and follow-up appointments, with the included ones marked.
- Rehabilitation: the sessions covered before you fly home.
- Currency: US dollars, with the date the price expires.
- Complications: who pays for a revision or other extra care.
Does US Insurance Cover It, and How Do You Pay?
Medicare does not cover surgery in Argentina, and you pay by credit card or wire transfer. Private US plans vary, so get your insurer’s answer in writing before you book. Your written quote states the deposit.
Can You Do Sports Rehabilitation in Argentina?
Yes, you can start rehabilitation in Argentina with a kinesiologist (kinesiólogo). Argentine kinesiologists hold a university degree and a license, and they work from your surgeon’s referral. Your US physical therapist takes over at home, at about USD 75 to 150 per self-pay visit. Read more about sports medicine and rehabilitation abroad.
What Does a Sports Medicine Trip to Argentina Include?
A sports medicine trip to Argentina includes a records review, a written quote, surgery, early rehabilitation nearby, and a flight home with your records:
- Records: MTP collects your imaging, reports and medication list for the surgeon.
- Surgeon’s review: the surgeon studies them and talks with you before you commit.
- Registry checks: you or MTP can confirm the surgeon’s license number (matrícula) in Argentina’s federal register of health professionals (REFEPS). You can also find the hospital in the federal register of health facilities (REFES). The provincial medical college can confirm a license that is missing from the register.
- Written quote: it arrives before you pick travel dates.
- Dates and flights: MTP schedules your flights around the surgery date.
- Surgery: you have the operation in Buenos Aires or Córdoba. ACL reconstruction and knee arthroscopy are often outpatient surgery, so you usually leave the hospital the same day.
- Early rehabilitation: MTP arranges lodging near the hospital while rehabilitation begins.
- Flight home: your surgeon decides when you can fly and gives you the clearance in writing.
- Records: ask for your records in English so your US doctor can read them. Argentine law entitles you to a certified copy of your full clinical record within 48 hours.
Entry rules and everyday travel advice are in our guide to medical tourism in Argentina.
Is Sports Injury Surgery in Argentina Safe, and Who Should Not Travel?
Arthroscopic sports surgery is low risk, and patients with an urgent injury, an uncontrolled illness or no US follow-up should have it at home. Complications occur in far fewer than 1 in 100 arthroscopic procedures, according to the AAOS. The risks to discuss with your surgeon are:
- Infection: the most common problem among medical tourists, according to the CDC, and a risk of knee arthroscopy.
- Stiffness and swelling: both can follow knee arthroscopy.
- Blood clots: a clot can form in the leg or, rarely, reach the lung.
- Re-tear: a repaired rotator cuff tendon can tear again.
MTP recommends surgery at home in these cases:
- Urgent injuries: a problem that needs treatment within days cannot wait for travel.
- Uncontrolled illness: poorly controlled heart disease or diabetes, or an active infection.
- No follow-up plan: no US clinician will see you after you return.
A past clot, a clotting disorder, obesity or age over 40 raises the risk of a blood clot on a long flight after surgery. Discuss them with your surgeon before you book.
What Do Patients Ask About Sports Medicine in Argentina?
Short answers to common questions about sports medicine in Argentina.
Do you always need surgery for a torn ACL?
No. Physical therapy steadies the knee for some patients, and reconstruction suits a knee that still gives way or keeps you from your sport.
How soon do you leave the hospital after sports surgery?
Over 65% of ACL patients at one English hospital go home the same day. Knee arthroscopy patients at the same hospital leave 2 to 3 hours after the operation.
Which Argentine cities are best for sports injury surgery?
Buenos Aires and Córdoba, plus nearby Pilar, hold every Argentine hospital on Newsweek's 2026 knee and shoulder lists. The city of Buenos Aires leads with 7 of 10 knee hospitals and 6 of 9 shoulder hospitals.
Does US insurance cover PRP injections?
US insurance does not usually cover PRP, so expect to pay for the injection yourself.
How do you check a sports medicine doctor in Argentina?
Ask for the doctor's license number (matrícula) and specialty certificate, such as AAOT certification for orthopedic surgeons. Then confirm the license in Argentina's federal register of health professionals.
Will you have English-speaking support and follow-up at home?
Yes. MTP works in English and Spanish with you and the Argentine team, and your records go home in English for your US doctor.
Plan Your Sports Medicine Care in Argentina
MTP matches you with specialist hospitals in Buenos Aires and Córdoba and arranges your travel and recovery lodging. Request a free consultation and a personalized quote. Contact us to start planning.
Sources and references
- Newsweek and Statista, Latin America’s Top Private Hospitals & Clinics 2026: Knee Surgery & Knee Replacement, published January 21, 2026, checked October 4, 2026.
- Newsweek and Statista, Latin America’s Top Private Hospitals & Clinics 2026: Shoulder Surgery, published January 21, 2026, checked October 4, 2026.
- Asociación Argentina de Ortopedia y Traumatología, Reglamentación de Actividades Educativas (updated 2024), checked October 4, 2026.
- Argentine Congress, via Argentina.gob.ar, Ley 24.317 on the practice of kinesiology and physiotherapy, checked October 4, 2026.
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo: Arthroscopy, checked October 4, 2026.
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries, checked October 4, 2026.
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo: Meniscus Tears, checked October 4, 2026.
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo: Rotator Cuff Tears, checked October 4, 2026.
- British Journal of Sports Medicine, Fifty-five per cent return to competitive sport following ACL reconstruction surgery: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis (Ardern et al., 2014), checked October 4, 2026.
- Revista de la Asociación Argentina de Ortopedia y Traumatología, Retorno al deporte recreativo luego de la reparación artroscópica del manguito rotador (August 2024), checked October 4, 2026.
- A Buenos Aires university hospital’s knee service page (undated), checked October 4, 2026.
- A Córdoba private hospital’s traumatology services page (undated), checked October 4, 2026.
- A Buenos Aires arthroscopy teaching center’s listing on the ISAKOS website (self-reported, undated), checked October 4, 2026.
- A Córdoba medical-travel company’s knee arthroscopy price page (June 30, 2025), checked October 4, 2026.
- Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Day Case ACL (patient information leaflet, November 2023), checked October 4, 2026.
- Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Knee Arthroscopy (patient information leaflet, 2023), checked October 4, 2026.
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Yellow Book: Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, checked October 4, 2026.
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Yellow Book: Medical Tourism (April 23, 2025), checked October 4, 2026.
- Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Argentina.gob.ar electronic prescription page for professionals (REFEPS lookup), checked October 4, 2026.
- Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, via Argentina.gob.ar, Resolución 1070/2009 creating the REFES, checked October 4, 2026.
- Argentine Congress, via Argentina.gob.ar, Ley 26.529 on patient rights, clinical record and informed consent, checked October 4, 2026.
- US Department of State, Argentina country information (record updated July 16, 2026), checked October 4, 2026.
- MyCareCost, ACL Surgery Cost in 2026 (updated May 2026), checked October 4, 2026.
- CareRoute, How Much Does ACL Surgery Cost in 2026? (updated September 12, 2026), checked October 4, 2026.
- MyCareCost, Meniscus Surgery Cost in 2026 (updated May 2026), checked October 4, 2026.
- MyCareCost, Rotator Cuff Repair Cost in 2026 (updated May 2026), checked October 4, 2026.
- Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, There Is Wide Variation in Platelet-rich Plasma Injection Pricing: A United States Nationwide Study of Top Orthopaedic Hospitals (2023), checked October 4, 2026.
- Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, A Systematic Review of Current Clinical Practice Guidelines on Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid, Corticosteroid, and Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis (Phillips et al., 2021), checked October 4, 2026.
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Guidance Statement on Platelet-Rich Plasma for Knee Osteoarthritis (2025), checked October 4, 2026.
