Why? Here’s what the ACL is, and why a surgeon’s repair strategy is not always obvious.
ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee joint, extends from the femur to the tibia in the middle of the joint. A tight weave of collagen fibers in the shape of a band, it is nourished by a rich blood supply, cells that produce collagen, nerve fibers, and a structure that permits flexion, extension, and rotation of the knee joint through a wide range of motion.
The ACL often ruptures in skiing, basketball, football, soccer, and other twisting and impact sports. Landing with the femur and tibia going in abnormal directions, taking off with torque on the knee joint, being hit from the side in football, or hyper flexing or extending in skiing can all lead to rupture of this critical ligament. And when the ACL is torn, the knee often becomes unstable. This leads to a high rate of meniscus and articulate cartilage injury.
The drive to fix the ACL is informed by the realization that people with an unstable, ACL-dependent knee go on to further damage when they return to sports and especially have difficulty returning to pivoting and twisting sports. For this reason, the torn ACL has a long history of repair and reconstruction techniques, over many decades, but with mixed success.
Primary ACL repair began in 1895 by Sir Arthur Mayo-Robson and has evolved over time. Unfortunately the ACL, like a climbing rope, has a unique construction of fibers. When injured, these internal fibers rupture—even when it appears that just a mild sprain has occurred. The goal of repair is to stimulate new collagen formation that magically replicates the unique formation of collagen within the ligament itself.
Call Now
ACL Repair
Why? Here’s what the ACL is, and why a surgeon’s repair strategy is not always obvious.
ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee joint, extends from the femur to the tibia in the middle of the joint. A tight weave of collagen fibers in the shape of a band, it is nourished by a rich blood supply, cells that produce collagen, nerve fibers, and a structure that permits flexion, extension, and rotation of the knee joint through a wide range of motion.
The ACL often ruptures in skiing, basketball, football, soccer, and other twisting and impact sports. Landing with the femur and tibia going in abnormal directions, taking off with torque on the knee joint, being hit from the side in football, or hyper flexing or extending in skiing can all lead to rupture of this critical ligament. And when the ACL is torn, the knee often becomes unstable. This leads to a high rate of meniscus and articulate cartilage injury.
The drive to fix the ACL is informed by the realization that people with an unstable, ACL-dependent knee go on to further damage when they return to sports and especially have difficulty returning to pivoting and twisting sports. For this reason, the torn ACL has a long history of repair and reconstruction techniques, over many decades, but with mixed success.
Primary ACL repair began in 1895 by Sir Arthur Mayo-Robson and has evolved over time. Unfortunately the ACL, like a climbing rope, has a unique construction of fibers. When injured, these internal fibers rupture—even when it appears that just a mild sprain has occurred. The goal of repair is to stimulate new collagen formation that magically replicates the unique formation of collagen within the ligament itself.
If you can’t find it, search