ACL/PCL Reconstruction

During ACL reconstruction surgery, the torn ligament is removed and replaced with tendon, a band of tissue that generally connects muscle to bone. When the tendon is placed into your knee, it is called a graft. The graft tendon is taken from either a deceased donor or a part of your body (another knee, thigh or hamstring) or a synthetic one is used .

The goal is to get the injured knee stable again and give it the full range of motion it used to have before it got hurt.

The procedure may be performed under general anaesthesia or regional anaesthesia. In general anaesthesia you to sleep throughout the surgery, while in regional anaesthesia (the doctor puts medicine in your back) you will not feel anything in your legs for a few hours.

The foremost step is to place the graft at the right place. The surgeon will then drill two holes (tunnels). The surgeon will put one in the bone above the knee and another below it. Then, screws are placed in the tunnels in order to hold the graft in place. It serves as a sort of bridge to allow a new ligament to grow on as you heal. A new ACL may take months to grow in fully.

ACL reconstruction is an outpatient surgery that is performed by an orthopaedic surgeon, a specialist who specializes in surgical procedures of the bones and joints.