When anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery is required, due to a full thickness tear of the ACL, patients need information about surgical options. This should include what type of tendon graft the orthopedic surgeon recommends to achieve optimal results. Richard Cunningham, MD, a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Knee [...]
Why are Female Athletes Prone to ACL Injuries? Compared to male athletes, female athletes are more prone to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Studies show that women are 3-8 times more likely to sustain an ACL injury compared to men. The question is why? Considerations include a smaller diameter ACL, [...]
Are ACL Tears Common in Adolescent Athletes? Anterior cruciate ligament tears are fairly common in adolescent athletes. Amongst youth female soccer players, as many as one in three athletes will have experienced some degree of injury to their ACL by the time they conclude their soccer career. Activities such as [...]
What are the Different ACL Reconstruction Techniques? There are several anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction techniques available for treating ACL tears. The most important consideration is the type of graft used to reconstruct one’s ACL. The first choice is whether the graft will be an allograft or an autograft. An [...]
What are ACL Graft Choices? There are several tendon graft options for patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The first choice is deciding whether the graft is harvested from the patient (autograft) or harvested from a cadaver (allograft). Several factors will affect the choice of which graft to use, [...]
Why are professional athletes prone to ACL injuries? Many professional sports involve explosive cutting and pivoting. Professional athletes subject their knee joints to a high volume of extreme biomechanical forces. Seasons are long, and there is often little time to rest and recover. This exposes the professional athlete to greater [...]
What is an ACL Repair? An ACL repair is an excellent option for certain types of anterior cruciate ligament tears. It is a procedure whereby the native ACL is preserved, repaired, and allowed to heal after tearing. It is different than the more common ACL reconstruction surgery. In ACL reconstruction, [...]