New Technique in ACL Reconstruction in 2021

ACL or Anterior cruciate ligament is one of the prime and strong ligaments present inside the knee joint connecting the thigh bone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia). This ligament along with other supportive ligaments essentially stabilizes and manages any kind of trauma and torque the knee undergoes.

 

The ACL ligament can also be prone to injuries or buckling when the trauma and pressure it undergoes is extreme. Sportsmen commonly go through such severe injuries. Acl damage can even occur in cases of knee-related accidents

 

Treatment of ACL injury is the new ACL reconstruction technique in 2021 that substitutes the injured ACL with a graft using minimal invasion and arthroscopic procedures. Salient features of this technique include less tissue for graft, less bone removal, minimum skin incision and many more.

 

Table Of Contents

 

Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye

 

1. Common ACL Injuries
2. New Acl reconstruction Techniques in 2021
3. ACL reconstruction procedure
4. Benefits of ACL Surgery

Take Away

1. Common ACL Injuries

Ligaments are tough connective tissue bands that connect the bones together. ACL is one of the major cruciate ligaments that stabilizes the knee by restraining massive rotational torque and helps reposition the joint using nerve receptors that direct the position of the joint. The ACL is relatively prone to acute and chronic injuries compared to other ligaments.

 

Acl injuries are common in almost all athletic sports, gender and age. There are two types of ACL injuries depending on the mechanism the injury occurs. They are :

 

• Contact injuries: In contact ACL injuries, the adjacent ligaments are involved in the injury. One example of contact injury is when a football player is hit on the side of the leg or falls sideways, the impact may not only damage the ACL but also injure the knee cap and the tendons.
• Non-contact injuries: One of the common ACL injuries compared to contact ACL injury. This stabilizing ligament sometimes can get hyper-extended or buckled while jumping too hard in an awkward manner or changing directions too quickly while running, etc. These ACL tears can suddenly restrict the range of joint movements causing tremendous pain, swelling and instability of the knee.

Major contributors to ACL injuries are activities that exert stress on the knee. Sudden slowing down and changing direction while running, pivoting on the knee, Landing awkwardly from a jump, Receiving a direct hit on the knee are some of the reasons for ACL injuries.

2. New Acl reconstruction Techniques in 2021

Acl reconstruction techniques have been developing with the increasing incidences of ACL injury. Recent advances in acl reconstruction 2021 brings the new all-inside ACL reconstruction surgery which is one of the preferred techniques in recent times. It uses arthroscopic techniques to replace the damaged ACL with a graft like a hamstring graft into the knee of the injured patient. This reconstruction procedure involves single hamstring tendon for graft, smaller skin incisions, less bone drilling and dual suspensory graft fixation while performing the new acl reconstruction . It delivers less postoperative pain also as the tissue used for graft is minimal compared to older techniques. This technique can also be used for ACL reconstruction in paediatric patients.

 

3. ACL reconstruction procedure

The new all inside ACL operation is a minimally invasive reconstruction technique. The steps involved in this procedure are :

 

• Administration of anesthesia - Usually spinal anesthesia is given before the ACL operation. The injured knee is cleaned and prepared before the surgery is done . The procedure is done through a few keyhole incisions on the knee and a small tube-like camera is inserted to access the area of surgery.
• The remnants of the old ACL and damaged tissue are removed to make room for new ligament.
• Removal of the donor segment of tendon - The surgeon will take the graft which is a segment of tendon-like the hamstring graft from the patient’s body itself. Sometimes, grafts from a deceased body can also be used.
• Placement of the graft - The surgeon will drill small tunnels into the thigh bone and shin bone using a special drilling instrument which makes it possible to make tunnels from inside as opposed to older technique where the tunnels are made from outside and are longer. Then, the graft is accurately positioned and secured with a special dual suspensory fixation device . The graft will gradually mature into a new ligament over a few months.

The acl operation is accompanied by a rehabilitation procedure that has to be followed for effective healing and recovery. The surgeon will guide you with the physical therapy exercises that will help strengthen the knee and improve its flexibility.

 

4. Benefits of ACL Surgery

The surgery for ACL has benefitted many especially in the field of sports.

• It is relatively a minimally invasive technique with only small incisions made, decreased bone removal and wounds healing quickly and return to sport or activity is faster.
• This technique can help you gain normal knee functions back with less postoperative pain and discomfort.
• It is an efficient procedure to strengthen and stabilize the knee. It also reduces the high risk of further knee damage.

Takeaway

Acl is a prime stabilizing ligament of the knee joint that provides stability during movements of the knee. As ACL injuries are mostly seen in sportsmen and among the young population, The new ACL reconstruction technique is one of the commonly performed surgeries with less invasive camera guided procedure. The surgeon uses a graft to replace the injured ACL. The newer techniques are even better and use less graft tissue. Physical therapy and rehabilitation aid effective recovery and healing post-operation. At J & B, Our team of Orthpaedicians will help you get the latest and best treatment and post-treatment care at an affordable cost.