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ACL Injury and Surgery: Success and Failure

The ACL knee ligament injury story is slowly changing. There are some very positive highlights, some shockingly bad outcomes, and a few mixed observations. Here is an update from a recent meeting in Sweden, which included some of the world’s top ACL surgeons.

Positive: Our understanding of ACL anatomy is improving. Some surgeons are discarding the old “bundle” theory, instead describing the ACL as a “ribbon” which twists with knee flexion. This new model guides us in determining exactly where the ACL should be inserted, and should improve outcomes.

Negative: Using hamstrings as ACL replacements is rapidly declining in popularity. The results are inferior to the…

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Featured

 ACL injuries are a growing problem

And one that particularly afflicts women.

 The Nastiest Injury in Sports

But here is the thing about ACL tears: They’re not just another injury. They are the Godzilla of injuries. They are painful beyond tolerance, they take eons to rehab, and they always leave a lingering doubt in the athlete’s mind that he will ever be whole again. An ACL tear tests one’s mettle.

 Why are women more likely to get ACL injuries?

Sports scientists are trying to figure out why female athletes are so prone to a specific type of knee injury. ACL tears are common among female athletes of all ages. Girls and women face between two to eight times’ higher risk of tearing their ACLs compared with their male counterparts when playing similar sports—and multisport female athletes have close to a 10 percent risk of tearing their ACLs in high school or college. We’ve recognized this increased risk to girls and women since the 1990s. “It’s something that everyone's kind of aware of,” says Kitley, “but nobody really knows why.”

Articles of Interest

ACL Tear Surgery: Controversies & Variations

There are a number of very good ways to do any one thing and as a result, not all Sports Medicine surgeons agree on everything, particularly when it comes to ACL tear surgery.

ACL Injury: Does It Require Surgery?

The information is intended to assist the patient in making the best-informed decision possible regarding the management of ACL injury.

An Overview of ACL Tears

The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of four major knee ligaments. The ACL is critical to knee stability, and people who injure their ACL often complain of symptoms of their knee giving out from under them. Therefore, many patients who sustain an ACL tear opt to have surgical treatment for this injury.

Knee Injury? Take Care of All Your Knee Ligaments

The knee is tied together by more than just the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), though you might not know that hearing the daily reports of ACL injuries from football, soccer, basketball and skiing.

New Steps to Help Prevent Knee Injuries in Teen Sports

A torn knee ligament is one of the most debilitating injuries that routinely hit young athletes. Now, medical researchers are deciphering why women are at much greater risk for the problem than men and how it can be prevented.

Saving Troubled Knees

Silk scaffolds, grafts from pigs and green tea extracts might someday help keep injured and vulnerable joints active.