Most Common Reasons for Needing an ACL Repair

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair is a replacement of the ligament that holds your shin bone in place. The ACL is located in the center of your knee. A tear in this ligament may make your knee fold during physical activity.

Unstable knee

• Knees that give out frequently or feel unstable during daily activities due to an ACL tear often require surgical repair. Patients who place high demands on their knees, such as professional athletes, often need ACL reconstruction, especially those athletes who need to pivot, jump and cut.

Post Conservative Treatment

• Patients who have undergone physical therapy to improve their knee instability due to an ACL tear, but the repair failed, often resort to surgical repair. If the ACL ligament is not repaired, other ligaments in the knee may begin to give way, often leading to injuries involving the meniscus. The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage in your knee that stabilizes and protects that joint.

Chronic ACL deficiency

• People who have injured their ACL to the point they experience recurrent or long-lasting problems such as painful or unstable knees often choose to have their ACL surgically repaired.