The ACL or Anterior Cruciate Ligament is one of the major ligaments in your knee. Injury to this ligament can cause instability and recurrent giving way episodes, which could injure other important structures in your knee. Often the original injury of an ACL coincides with injury to the meniscus cartilage.  Surgical treatment of an ACL tear involves reconstructing the ligament to restore stability of the knee.  The tissue used to replace the ACL is usually borrowed from another part of your knee, (or donated tissue could be used.) The most commonly used tissue is a portion of your hamstring tendons. The operation is carried out with the aid of an arthroscope, which allows your surgeon to see the entire knee through very small incisions. A slightly longer incision will be made to obtain the tissue or graft that is used to reconstruct the ligament. Tunnels are made in the bones on either side of the knee joint and the tissue grafts are anchored on each bone. The anchoring devices utilized are left in on a permanent basis.

Replacing the worn out surfaces of the end of the thigh bone (femur) and top of the shin bone (tibia) and undersurface of the kneecap (patella) with metal and polyethylene (hard plastic) bearing surfaces. We use both fixed-bearing and mobile-bearing prostheses to maximize motion and longevity. This is done to relieve the pain associated with arthritis of the knee. This requires an inpatient hospital stay of 2 to 4 days. The procedure takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes to perform. A system of specific instruments, along with the use of computer-assisted techniques, are used to insure correct placement and alignment of your prosthesis. The implants are fixed to your bones with bone cement. Ninety to 95 percent of patients are happy with their procedure.

Basic information about this procedure: You are scheduled for an arthroscopic surgery to remove torn meniscus and/or cartilage tissues from your knee. For this surgery, most people “go to sleep completely” during surgery with a general anesthetic. Surgery with a spinal anesthetic is also an option. Three small incisions are made to allow special instruments, including a fiber-optic camera, to be placed into your knee. Sterile saline (saltwater) is brought into the knee joint continuously with tubing to provide a clear view for the surgeon. Torn parts of the meniscus and/or damaged cartilage on the bone surfaces are carefully removed with special arthroscopic instruments. The end result is a knee lined with smooth and stable tissues rather than rough, torn, and unstable edges. The actual surgery time is usually about 30 minutes, but if extensive work is needed, the procedure may last slightly longer. At the end of the surgery, local anesthesia medication is injected into the knee and reduces pain for about 10 to 12 hours after surgery. This explains why patients often note that their pain is not severe at first, then worse the day after surgery.

How long does the surgical procedure take and what exactly is done?

The actual surgery time is usually about 30 minutes. If extensive work is needed, the procedure may last up to 45 minutes. Most people "go to sleep completely" during surgery with a general anesthetic. Some have surgery with a spinal anesthetic.

Three or four small incisions are made to allow special instruments, including a fiber-optic camera, to be placed into your knee. Sterile saline (salt water) is brought into the knee joint continuously with tubing to provide a clear view for the surgeon. Torn parts of the meniscus and/or damaged cartilage on the bone surfaces are carefully removed with special arthroscopic instruments. The end result is a knee lined with smooth and stable tissues rather than rough edges.