ACL Tear Specialist
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OrthoTeam Clinic
Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine located in Madison & Stoughton, WI
Tearing an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) can be a devastating injury, but surgical advancements have made this injury easier to recover from than ever before. At the OrthoTeam Clinic in Madison & Stoughton, Wisconsin, we offer both minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery to reconstruct your ACL tear or ACL repair using the BEAR implant. To learn more about how you can bounce back from an ACL tear, call the office or schedule an appointment online today.
ACL Tear Q&A
What is an ACL?
Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connects your femur (the bone in your thigh) to your tibia (the bone in your shin). The ACL runs diagonally across the front of your knee, stabilizing it as you move. Without your ACL, your knee can be unstable leading to inability to perform sports and other activities. This instability can lead to further injury to the cartilage, meniscus, and bones. ACL tears do not have the ability to heal on their own and may require surgical treatment to restore stability to the knee.
How do I know if I have an ACL tear?
Many people hear their ACL tear. If you heard a popping sound and immediately noticed pain or decreased stability in your knee afterward, you likely tore your ACL. You may also notice swelling in the area afterward.
ACL tears most commonly occur when people are playing sports, although they can happen anytime you put excess strain on your ACL. You can tear your ACL by:
- Changing direction, especially rapidly
- Slowing from a run
- Landing from a jump
You can also tear your ACL as a result of direct contact with your knee, as is especially common in tackle sports.
How is an ACL tear treated?
Because the torn ACL won’t heal on its own, the OrthoTeam Clinic can help create a plan to treat your knee. For most people, an arthroscopic outpatient ACL reconstruction can successfully restore knee stability. Arthroscopic-assisted ACL reconstruction can be performed through extremely small incisions on your knee, using a thin tool called an arthroscope, which has a camera mounted at the end. This minimally invasive procedure lessens your risk and shortens your recovery period.
Additionally, we perform ACL repair with the BEAR implant.
To learn more about how we can help you heal quickly from an ACL tear, call OrthoTeam Clinic to schedule an appointment.
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