Arthroscopic ACL surgery is done to repair a partly or fully torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). ACL injuries account for roughly 40% of all sporting injuries and might cause long run pain and instability.

There are 2 styles of ACL knee surgery ordinarily dole out counting on the severity of the injury, ACL repair surgery or an ACL reconstruction.

Most cases of ACL knee surgery are carried out arthroscopically these days. An arthroscopy is a surgical operation where a special camera and surgical tools are inserted into the knee through tiny holes.

What is an ACL injury?

Arthroscopic ACL surgery is indicated once there's vital harm to the ACL. The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is one in all a pair of ligaments within the middle of the hinge joint, to blame for providing stability.

It is a really strong ligament however if it gets overstretched, the fibres begin to tear. With enough force, it will rupture fully.

ACL injuries are sometimes caused by:

• Sudden, awkward movements of the knee e.g. twisting the knee or over extending it
• Direct blow: to the skin of the knee once the foot is fastened to the bottom 

There are 3 grades of ACL injury:

Grade 1: The ligament is overstretched and less than 100% of the fibers are torn. It ought to heal naturally during a few weeks.

Grade 2: a lot of the fibers are torn however the ligament remains intact. Might heal with a rehab program or might need arthroscopic ACL surgery.

Grade 3: The ligament is totally burst i.e. torn in 2. Sometimes there is the need for arthroscopic knee surgery.

Types of Arthroscopic ACL Surgery

Arthroscopic ACL surgery aims to revive the purposeful stability of the knee whereas holding full vary of movement.

There are 2 styles of operation ordinarily carried out to treat ACL injuries, each of that are carried out arthroscopically.

ACL Repair Surgery

Arthroscopic ACL repair surgery is sometimes done once the ligament has broken removed from the bone (known as an avulsion) however remains intact. The ligament is reattached to the bone and command in situ.

Repair is typically carried out if the ligament is partly torn. The doctor sews the ligament back along so that it will heal. However, there's a high failure rate thus in most cases, it is better to opt for a reconstruction instead of repair. 

ACL Reconstruction

If there's a lot of vital harm, or there are in progress issues with pain and instability, the torn ligament is removed and replaced with a graft, sometimes taken from your hamstring or patellar tendon. This is often called arthroscopic ACL reconstruction surgery.

A reconstruction is way more common than a repair. 

What happens throughout Surgery?

With each styles of arthroscopic ACL surgery, 2 or 3 tiny incisions are created at the aspect of the knee. A special camera (known as an arthroscope) is inserted through one hole in order to see the extent of the harm.

Special tools (such as scissors or lasers) are then inserted through the opposite hole and accustomed repair or removed and replace any broken tissue. The joint is then washed out with sterile fluid and closed.

What Happens when Surgery is performed?

Arthroscopic ACL surgery isn't a fast fix. Each procedures are followed by months of rehab to create the strength and stability of the knee.