The anterior cruciate ligament is synonymous with providing anterior (in front) stability to the joint. It comprises a thick bundle of ligamentous fibres, which provides a strong connective tissue between the femur (thigh-bone) and the tibia (the leg bone).
NO. Not all ligament surgeries require surgery.
We at Sri Balaji Hospital follow a grading system to assess and decide the need for surgery or otherwise.
Following the outlined protocol given above, grade II tears are considered as relative indications. Factors such as pre-injury lifestyle and the patient's specific demands are taken into account before determining the suitability of surgery. Conversely, for grades III and IV tears, arthroscopic surgical intervention proves to be highly beneficial in a majority of cases.
We will talk to you and decide on the benefits of the surgery for you and your Pre-injury lifestyle. Our sole objective is to restore your pre-injury lifestyle, ensuring a pain-free and injury-free experience. If the only way to achieve that is surgery, then the same will be communicated to you. However, in contrast, if there is a good enough possibility of attaining those goals non-operatively, that would be our surgeon’s first choice.
Whether to go for surgeries (arthroscopy) or not depends on a multitude of factors, the most important of them being:
At Sri Balaji Hospital, we employ the cutting-edge Smith & Nephew arthroscopic system, delivering exceptional 4K quality for comprehensive visualisation of the affected joint. This advanced system helps us screen for associated injuries, ensuring a thorough assessment, which is often missed in MRI studies.
The actual procedure involves making 2 key hole-sized incisions (portals) on the front of the knee, one to accommodate the camera and the other portal to make way for the entry of the arthroscopic surgery instrumentation. A third mini-incision may be made to pass the graft or the screw that fixes the muscle or tendon graft.
It involves acquiring a substitute which will mimic the natural ligament closest in terms of strength as well as flexibility of the native ACL. This substitute is termed as a “graft”. This graft is of 2 types:
It is most commonly acquired from the lower thigh. The muscle of choice will be the semitendinosus, which is then looped 2 or more times to provide the strength to support the body weight of the individual and provide as much strength as will be demanded by the individual's physical activities. This procedure is ideal for individuals who require more flexibility, are not too involved in contact sports, and are less prone to sports-related injuries.
