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Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair (ACL)
The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is one of the most important ligaments in your knee providing stability to the joints. If you do damage the ACL it will mean severe pain and collapsing of the knee.
An ACL rupture is caused by twisting injuries to the knee and is found extensively in footballers and skiers. Quite often when the leg is planted firmly on the ground and a sharp twist occurs the injury can happen. Along with the ACL other areas of the knee can also be affected such as a cartilage tear or damage to the joint surface.
There are alternatives to surgery depending on the seriousness of the problem and the physiotherapy team will advise you on your best possible route. By strengthening the area around the knee and the thigh you will give yourself more stability in everyday situations but it is often the case for sports people to have surgery to correct the injury to allow them to return to normal playing activities.
If surgery is the decided option then the patient's knee should not give way anymore and a full return to fitness should be achieved.
The procedure will take about an hour and a half and will involve your surgeon making small cuts in the front and the side of the knee and replacing the ACL with a graft from another area of the body. Some surgeons will use an arthroscopic technique for the operation. The graft is then fixed with special screws in the bone within the knee.
Rehabilitation after the procedure can take anywhere from 6 - 9 months and will involve extensive physiotherapy work and personal exercise to bring the patient back to how they were prior to the injury, with the ability to return to full fitness and sporting duties.
Our consultants and physiotherapy team will advise on the best rehabilitation methods and be with you every step of the way until full fitness is resumed.
This procedure will normally be covered by your medical insurance policy but patients are advised to check with their provider prior to any treatment.
If you are paying for your own treatment all costs will be discussed and explained prior to any treatment taking place. This will be confirmed in writing along with any surgeon fees, anaesthetist fees and hospital charges prior to admission.