What is ACL?

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL is a long band of fibrous tissue (around 4 cm) that connects the thigh bone (femur) with the shin bone (tibia). Located in the center of the knee along with another ligament, the ACL makes the knee joint stable.

It also controls the knee rotation during movement, such as when finding ground after a jump, pivoting, or side-stepping. The ligament gets maximum injuries and unfortunately, it cannot heal by itself. This is where an ACL Reconstruction Surgery can work effectively.

Signs of ACL injury

These signs will confirm that you have an ACL injury:

• Problem with walking
• Swelling of knees in the initial hours of the accident or injury
• Restricted knee movement due to pain or swelling
• Unbearable in the back or outside of the knee

Returning to the field with any such injury will augment your wound further due to an unstable knee. Eventually, you will damage your knee’s cushioning cartilage even further. Dr. Sharma recommends such patients undergo ACL Reconstruction Surgery before returning to their sports.

Diagnosing an ACL Injury

Proper diagnosis of the ACL injury will ensure the type of ACL Reconstruction Surgery that will suit your case. "Dr. Sharma, an experienced orthopedic surgeon in Chandigarh, conducts a thorough physical examination to assess body stability, swelling, and tenderness. The expert may also opt for various digital imaging to get a better view of your injury, such as:

• CT Scan: Takes detailed 3D images of the targeted bone
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): To identify tendons, ligaments and bone deformities
• Ultrasound: Gives images of joint tendons, ligaments muscles, and other soft tissues
• X-ray: Produces images of hard structures, broken bones, etc.

What is ACL Reconstruction Surgery?

During this procedure, Dr. Anmol Sharma, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, removes damaged ACL tissues from the knee and prepares for the insertion of new ACL graft tissue by drilling holes in the thigh and shin bones. The replaced ACL graft tissues may be from the body of the patient himself or donated by a deceased person. In the first case, it will be an autograft, while in the latter case, it will be an allograft.

Patellar tendon autograft

Dr. Sharma will take off the bone plugs and the middle third of your patellar tendon from your kneecap and shin. Next, he will remove the damaged ACL and then create a tunnel in your knee by drilling holes at the top and bottom. This will help him to insert the graft in the knee and tighten it with sutures. The doctor will seal the tunnel by using bone plugs and screws. The plugs will be absorbed with the surrounding location with time.

Hamstring tendon autograft

Dr. Anmol Sharma will remove one or more hamstring tendons from your thigh’s back portion. Taking off additional tendons helps the doctor to create a bundle of grafts consisting of 2 to 4-strand grafts. Instead of using bone plugs as in patellar tendon autograft, the surgeon will use screws to fix the graft in the appropriate place. With time, the graft will fuse with your bone.

Quadriceps tendon autograft

To insert this autograft, Dr. Sharma will detach the middle third of the patient’s quadriceps tendon along with a single bone plug from the kneecap. This will help to hold the graft properly.

Allograft

The doctor can extract tissues from different parts of the donor’s legs for the allograft, such as:

• Knee (patellar)
• Heel (achilles)
• Hamstring (semitendinosus)
• Calf (posterior tibialis)
• Inner thighs (gracilis)

The Procedure of ACL Reconstruction Surgery

The expert surgeon will start the ACL Reconstruction Surgery through minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques. These include a combination of:

• Small incisions
• Small devices
• Fiber optics

The entire procedure will take around 2-3 hours to complete. Due to the outpatient nature of the surgery, the patient may go home on the day of the surgery itself.

• To start ACL Reconstruction Surgery, Dr. Sharma will give general anesthesia. It will keep the patient asleep during the entire procedure.
• After that, the surgeon will drill bone tunnels in the thigh bone and the shin bone.
• Next, he will eliminate torn ligament
• Next, he will eliminate torn ligament
• The type of graft taken out to replace the torn ligament depends on the individual patient.

Recovery from ACL Reconstruction Surgery

Post-surgery, Dr. Sharma will cover your knee with a large dressing before allowing you to go home. Possibly, you will also get a knee brace, a cold therapy device, and crutches.

The use of crutches will ensure that you do not exert much pressure on your legs for the initial week after the surgery. Abiding by the rehab plan developed by your surgeon along with his proper guidance will facilitate quick healing.

• Start PT: To speed up your recovery, the doctor will recommend starting Physical Therapy (PT) in the first week and continuing it for a few months until you are back on your legs without crutches.
• Use CPM Machine: A continuous passive motion (CPM) machine will help bend your knees back and forth, enabling you to resume knee movement.
• Wear Knee braces: You may start wearing a knee brace around 2-3 weeks after the surgery, as your thigh muscles will start regaining muscles by that time.
• Resume sports: You can return to your routine life and sports activities around 9 months after the surgery. As a precautionary measure, Dr. Sharma may recommend you wear a functional ACL brace during your practice sessions or games.

Approach Dr. Anmol Sharma today

An ACL injury is critical to everyone, whether a commoner or a sportsperson. It can happen during sports, when your knee twists all of a sudden, or due to a knee injury. In any case, Dr. Anmol Sharma, MS, DNB in Orthopaedics, is the right person to approach for further course of action.

From diagnosing the ACL injury to performing the appropriate surgery, he excels in every department. Seeking the assistance of upscale surgical equipment further helps him perform the surgery with acute precision. So do not wait, contact Dr. Anmol Sharma today itself and ensure total relief from your ACL injury.