Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery is the best treatment for those who want to regain enough knee strength and stability to return to athletic activities. As experts in ACL surgery, Babak Samimi, MD, and David Eldringhoff, MD, at Samimi Orthopedic Group have developed their own ACL surgery techniques. With their experience and surgical skill, you can depend on an optimal recovery from your ACL tear. To learn more, call one of the Los Angeles area offices in Brentwood, West Covina, or Sherman Oaks, California, or schedule an appointment online today.
Chances are you will need surgery after tearing the ACL, especially if you want to regain optimum strength and joint stability.
The ACL runs diagonally through the knee joint, where it holds the shinbone in place and gives your knee rotational stability. While you may injure the ligament after a direct impact to your knee, most ACL tears develop during movements such as:
When you sustain an ACL injury, you have a 50-50 chance of suffering damage to other structures in the knee, including other ligaments, the meniscus, and articular cartilage.
Many people hear a popping sound when the ACL tears. You may also experience:
Swelling typically appears within 24 hours of your injury. Though the swelling and pain may improve without treatment, your knee joint remains unstable. If you return to sports activities, you have a high risk of damaging the meniscus (the cartilage between the two leg bones).
If you have a partial ACL tear and your knee joint remains stable, you may get by without surgery. However, if you want to return to athletic activities, you need maximum strength and stability; ACL surgery is the only way to reach that goal.
Your provider does not repair the ACL by simply stitching it together; that approach doesn't produce good results. Instead, they reconstruct the ligament using a piece of tendon removed from another part of your body, such as a hamstring tendon.
During knee arthroscopy (minimally invasive surgery), your provider anchors the ligament to your thigh and shinbone, recreating the same position and angle as your original ACL.
Rehabilitation is essential following any treatment for an ACL tear, but especially after surgery. You need physical therapy to regain stability, strength, and movement in the knee. It may take more than six months to fully recover from an ACL injury.
To get exceptional care before, during, and after ACL surgery, call Samimi Orthopedic Group or book an appointment online today.
