Upon finally meeting with a surgeon regarding my destroyed knee, I’ve learned that I have completely severed my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and require ACL reconstructive surgery. I’ve been in denial up until this point about needing surgery, but I can’t say I’m terribly surprised, given the extent of the damage that I’ve done to my knee.
I’m not an expert, but I figured I would share some general information about ACL reconstruction for anyone else out there who might be curious. The following information comes from hopkinsmedicine.org.
“Once the ACL tears, it has usually sustained enough damage that attempts to surgically repair it are not successful. Consequently, better results are obtained if the ACL is surgically replaced or reconstructed with another tendon from around the knee. There are a number of surgical options for reconstructing the ACL. The type of procedure done may vary from patient to patient depending on a specific surgeon’s preference as well as factors unique to an individual patient.
“The surgical procedure is most commonly performed using arthroscopic techniques. Using one or two small incisions on the knee, the graft is taken from the patellar tendon or hamstring tendons, and a tunnel is drilled into both the tibia and femur. The graft is threaded across the knee, leaving a piece of bone in each of the tunnels and the patellar tendon in the position of the original ACL, thus reconstructing the ligament. The graft is then secured in this position, most commonly by ‘wedging’ a screw between the side of the bone and the tunnel. Alternatively, the graft can be secured by other techniques — staples, sutures, buttons, etc. These fixation devices are usually left in place permanently.
“In addition to the ACL reconstruction, additional procedures may be done to other structures within the knee if an injury is present. A torn meniscus can be either repaired or trimmed (meniscectomy), and other ligaments can be repaired or reconstructed as well,” the web page explains.
I can’t exactly say I’m looking forward to having this done because it doesn’t sound terribly pleasant. But, I know it is necessary, and I’m grateful that it is fixable.
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