Your ACL connects your thigh bone to your shin bone and helps to keep your knee stable. If you’ve torn or sprained your ACL, ACL reconstruction can replace the damaged ligament with a graft. This is a replacement tendon from another part of your knee. It’s usually done as a keyhole procedure. This means your surgeon will carry out the operation through tiny holes in your skin, rather than needing to make a larger cut.
Not everyone with an ACL injury needs surgery. But your doctor may be more likely to recommend surgery if:
you play sports that include a lot of twisting and turning – such as football, rugby or netball – and you want to get back to it
you have a very physical or manual job – for example, you’re a firefighter or police officer or you work in construction
other parts of your knee are damaged and could also be repaired with surgery
your knee gives way a lot (known as instability)
It’s important to think about the risks and benefits of surgery and to talk this through with your surgeon. They’ll discuss all your treatment options and help you to consider what would work best for you.
1. What instruments are used in ACL surgery？
The ACL surgery uses many instruments, such as Tendon Strippers Closed, Guiding pins, Guiding Wires, Femoral Aimer, Femoral Drills, ACL Aimer, PCL Aimer, etc.
2. What is the recovery time for ACL reconstruction ?
It usually takes about six months to a year to make a full recovery from ACL reconstruction.
You’ll see a physiotherapist within the first few days after your operation. They’ll give you a rehabilitation programme with exercises specific to you. This will help you to get the full strength and range of motion back in your knee. You’ll usually have a series of goals to work towards. This will be very individual to you, but a typical ACL reconstruction recovery timeline may be similar to this:
0–2 weeks – building up the amount of weight you can bear on your leg
2–6 weeks – beginning to walk normally without pain relief or crutches
6–14 weeks – full range of motion restored – able to climb up and down stairs
3–5 months – able to do activities such as running without pain (but still avoiding sports)
6–12 months – return to sport
The exact recovery times vary from person to person and depend on many things. These include the sport you play, how severe your injury was, the graft used and how well you’re recovering. Your physiotherapist will ask you to complete a series of tests to see if you’re ready to get back to sport. They’ll want to check that you feel mentally ready to return too.
During your recovery, you can continue to take over-the-counter-painkillers such as paracetamol or anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen. Make sure you read the patient information that comes with your medicine and if you have any questions, speak to your pharmacist for advice. You can also apply ice packs (or frozen peas wrapped in a towel) to your knee to help reduce pain and swelling. Don't apply ice directly to your skin though because ice can damage your skin.
3. What do they put in your knee for ACLsurgery ?
ACL reconstruction usually lasts between one and three hours.
The procedure is usually done by keyhole (arthroscopic) surgery. This means it’s carried out using instruments inserted through several small cuts into your knee. Your surgeon will use an arthroscope – a thin, flexible tube with a light and camera on the end of it – to see inside your knee.
After examining the inside of your knee, your surgeon will remove the piece of tendon to be used as a graft. The graft is usually a piece of tendon from another part of your knee, for example:
● your hamstrings, which are tendons at the back of your thigh
● your patellar tendon, which holds your kneecap in place
Your surgeon will then create a tunnel through your upper shin bone and lower thigh bone. They’ll thread the graft in through the tunnel and fix it in place, usually with screws or staples. Your surgeon will make sure there is enough tension on the graft and that you have full range of movement in your knee. Then they’ll close the cuts with stitches or adhesive strips.
4. How long can you delay ACL surgery ?
Unless you are a high-level athlete, there is a 4 out of 5 chance that your knee will recover to near normal without surgery. High-level athletes do not usually do well without surgery.
If your knee continues to give way, you can get a torn cartilage (risk: 3 in 100). This increases the risk of you having problems with your knee in the future. You will usually need another operation to remove or repair the torn piece of cartilage.
If you have increased pain or swelling in your knee, contact your healthcare team.
Post time: Dec-04-2024
