Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

Overview
How did I rupture my knee ligament? Where can I get the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fixed?  When should I have my knee repaired?  What is the best treatment for a torn ACL?  Who is the best candidate for ACL reconstruction or repair?  The anterior cruciate ligament is the key guide wire within the knee joint. Injuries to it are fortunately treatable, and early return to athletic performance can be expected.  Our results using patella tendon grafts (the patients own or an allograft cadaver donor) have been excellent.


Repair
ACL Repair can be accomplished in selected tears where the ligament tissue is in good condition, the tear is close to the bone, and best if the patient is over 35 years old.


Reconstruction
Surgical reconstruction of the ACL is indicated for patients with unstable knees who desire to remain active. We reconstruct the ligament with a graft from the patient’s own knee or from a donor cadaver knee using a sterilized bone-patellar tendon-bone graft (our preference).   When followed with an intensive rehabilitation program that we custom design for each patient the results are that more than 90% of patients can return to full sports with a stable knee. 


Revision
ACL reconstruction is a complex process and although the success rate is generally 85-95%, the surgical techniques for revision require significant experience.  Our over 20 year experience seeing complicated knees has given us the experience to obtain excellent resutls from ACL revision reconstructions.


Rehabilitation
Knee injuries and knee surgery rehabilitation has undergone a complete revision from the old days of isolated knee exercises. Our clinic focuses on global intense fitness training combined with hands on manual therapy. This  technique is for people of all ages and athletes from gold medalists to world cup winners to weekend dreamers.


ACL Frequently Asked Questions
An overview of our goals and commitment, including frequently asked questions about ACL injury, surgery, and rehabilitation.