What is ACL?

ACL reconstruction is surgery is usually done to fix a torn anterior cruciate ligament (KROO-she-ate) — a major ligament that stabilizes your knee joint and connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia). ACL is a most common sports injury that occurs due to quick stops and changes of direction in games like soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball. There are more other chances of occurring during any trauma, such as a car accident, falling off a ladder, or missing a step on a staircase.

Each year, approximately 100,000 ACL reconstructions are performed due to the high incidence of ACL injuries. Although conservative treatment has the potential to be effective in the appropriate population, patients who want to return to high levels of sports activity may not be able to achieve their goals with conservative treatment.

ACL reconstruction surgery will help Patients who were into sports and forced to discontinue their playing because of ACL injury and it will support them to have a normal knee function and sports career after ACL reconstruction.

ACL reconstruction is usually recommended for:

• The athlete who wants to continue in their sports career, especially if it involves jumping, cutting, or changing direction
• Persons injured more than one ligament
• Having a torn meniscus that needs to be repaired
• The injury caused knee sagging as a result of the injury during everyday activities
• Other factors, such as activity level and knee instability, regardless of age criteria.

Types of ACL Surgery

When your doctor replaces your torn ACL, he or she inserts a tendon in its place. (Tendons are the connective tissue that connects muscle to bone.) The goal is to reestablish your knee’s stability and get you the full range of motion it had before you got hurt.

 When the tendon is put into your knee, it’s known as a graft. There are three types of grafts that can be used in ACL surgery:

• Autograft doctor will use a tendon from some other part of your body (like your other knee, hamstring, or thigh).
• Allograft This type of graft makes use of tissue from another person (a deceased donor).
• Synthetic graft where synthetic materials are used to replace the tendon. Materials, such as carbon fiber and Teflon, are used nowadays, but researchers are still looking for the best material for ACL replacement.

ACL Surgery Recovery

You’ll learn how to change the dressing on your wound before you leave the hospital. Your doctor may advise you to raise your knee on pillows, apply ice to it, and wrap it in a bandage to keep it compressed. You’ll most likely need crutches to relieve pressure on your knee.

Your doctor may prescribe pain relievers and also refer some progressive physical therapy as your ACL heals. This will aid in the strengthening of the muscles and ligaments. After that, you should be able to resume your normal activities in about 9 months.

You can contact Rathimed Multi Speciality Hospital, for effective ACL Surgery in Chennai, the results after ACL reconstruction are quite pleasing as it is one of the operative procedures with very positive outcomes.