Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery is performed to restore the function of the knee. As the ligament is responsible for holding the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) of the knee together in place, its injury may result in swelling, severe pain, loss of strength and inability to bend or straighten the knee. However, to treat such injury, surgery is never the initial step. It is usually suggested when a physiotherapy of the knee using strengthening exercises fails to show improvement in an individual. This may be due to certain factors like age, stability of the knee, its physical appearance and most importantly, the level of damage caused after the injury.

If the ACL injury doesn’t heal using non-invasive methods of treatment, reconstruction of the ligament using invasive procedures can be a chosen treatment. For sports players, who have had this injury, having their ACL reconstructed becomes the best choice in order to avoid stability issues while playing.

If you are confused about the best treatment alternatives for your knee condition, discuss your case with a highly qualified knee specialist in Mumbai, before you make a decision.

ACL Reconstruction Surgery:

ACL reconstruction surgery is often an outpatient arthroscopic procedure. It includes removing the torn ligament from your knee and replacing it with connective tissue from your body, known as autograft. This autograft acts as a new ligament to your knee bones and is often taken from either hamstrings or patellar bone tendons.

Based on the autograft type, an open incision is made to place the tissue in place. This step is followed by knee arthroscopy that becomes useful to observe the knee and operate additional injuries around it.

Initially your arthroscopic surgeon will remove the torn ligament from the knee area followed by preparing the tissue graft for placement. Autograft will be then placed on the knee and fixed to the desired position using screws, or other fixative devices. This new graft tissue has the property to heal on its own, enabling your knee to gain its function back to normal soon.

The technique used for ACL reconstruction surgery in Mumbai might slightly vary depending on your autograft used or other aspects. However, your knee specialist will explain the entire procedure of the surgery well in advance.

Procedure:

The operative procedure for arthroscopic ACL surgery is as follows:

Your surgeon will make a small incision around your knee, and insert an arthroscope to view your knee injury.
Using an arthroscopic shaver, he/she will remove the torn ACL and prepare the area for insertion of the new graft.
The new graft will be harvested and made ready for placement.
A diagonal hole is drilled into the front side of tibia into the knee to fix the new ACL at the top of the shin. This is followed by drilling a hole into the femur, pulling & letting the new graft onto the knee via the holes.
Then it is fixed in place using buttons or screws or other fixation devices.
Once it is done, the surgeon will sew up the outer incision, cover it the outer skin with cotton to prevent further bleeding and bandage the leg.

While explaining the procedure, your doctor will also educate you on what necessary steps you must follow prior to the surgery as well as essential post surgical followup. You must note that after having an ACL tear surgery in Mumbai, you must be prepared for weeks or months of rehabilitation to look forward to.

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