ACL Reconstruction Specialist

What is the ACL?

ACL is short for anterior cruciate ligament, a vital connective tissue in your knees. There are four large ligaments in each knee, one on either side of the joint, called the collateral ligaments, and two inside the knee joint, called the cruciate ligaments. These ligaments connect the bones in your knee joint, enabling you to move your knee and helping to keep it stable.

The cruciate ligaments inside your knee make it possible to move your lower leg back and forth. At the back of your knee you have the posterior cruciate ligament, and at the front, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Why would I need ACL reconstruction?

ACL damage is a relatively common type of knee injury, for which it’s sometimes necessary to have reconstructive surgery. Injuries to the ACL are most often due to actions you take when engaging in physical activities or playing sports, such as:

• Rapid direction changes
• Sudden stops
• Slowing down
• Poor landings
• Impact during a tackle

When you damage the ACL, you might hear a popping sound and find your leg gives way beneath you. The joint is tender and swells up, and you might find it difficult to walk because your knee feels unstable. 

Sometimes people feel these symptoms start to wear off in a day or two, which you’d think meant the injury wasn’t that bad.

Unfortunately, resuming activity when you have an ACL injury is likely to make the problem worse, so if you have knee pain and weakness, you should visit Throgs Neck Multi Care, P.C. and have your knee checked out, even if it seems to be getting better.

ACL tears can’t heal by themselves. If you’re an older person, who doesn’t need to be able to run and jump, then using a knee brace and having physiotherapy might be all you need. However, if you want to train, keep fit, or play sports, you need to undergo ACL reconstruction.

What’s involved in ACL reconstruction?

The surgical team at Throgs Neck Multi Care, P.C. carry out ACL reconstruction while you’re under a general anesthetic. Your surgeon typically uses a minimally invasive arthroscopic approach, making a small incision that’s just big enough for the arthroscope to pass through.

The arthroscope is a flexible tube that has a camera at one end. When it’s inside your knee joint, the arthroscope sends back images to enable your surgeon to carry out your operation without needing to make large incisions. Specialized arthroscopic instruments go down a second small incision.

During ACL reconstruction surgery, your surgeon removes the injured section of the ligament. They replace it with a graft, which is either taken from another part of your body or comes from a donor.

They drill holes into your femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone), so they can attach the graft securely with screws. 

The graft doesn’t replace your ACL ligament but provides a platform on which new, healthy ligament grows. To help your recovery, you need to take part in a program of physical therapy.

To benefit from the extensive experience of the surgical team at Throgs Neck Multi Care, P.C., call the practice today for ACL reconstruction, or book an appointment online.