Ligament Reconstruction
Your knee is made up of four ligaments.
These are:
The Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) – connects the thighbone to the shinbone. The ACL prevents your shinbone from moving forward and provides stability to your knee.
The Medial Collateral ligament (MCL) –stabilises the inner knee
The Lateral Collateral ligament (LCL) – provides stability to the outer knee.
The Posterior Cruciate ligament (PCL) – is in the middle of your knee and controls the backward and forward movement of your shinbone and also provides stability to your knee.
If you damage one of these ligaments, you may experience pain, swelling and instability. A ligament can rupture following a traumatic accident, causing knee instability and a locking sensation. This could make it difficult to partake in everyday activities and can restrict you from participating in sports that require you to change direction often. Knee instability is felt more during rotational movements of the leg
These injuries most often occur when an unnatural and forced twisting motion happens in the knee. A sudden, direct and hard impact to the knee can also cause a torn or otherwise injured ligament. This most commonly happens on the sports field during play or training and may or may not involve contact with another player.
Not all knee ligament injuries require surgery, but surgery will most likely be required if the injury causes instability of the knee.
What does ligament reconstruction entail?
Dr Street operates on knee ligaments as an outpatient procedure, so no hospital stay is required. The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia, frequently with the help of a drug that blocks local nerves. An instrument with a camera attached to it, known as an arthroscope, is introduced into the joint to observe the torn ligament and evaluate the meniscal and cartilage damage. The procedure is subsequently performed using several small tools. Part of a tendon close to the knee is cut out by making a tiny incision. The new ligament inserted into the knee to repair the torn ligament is built using this tendon fragment. Small sockets are formed in the thigh and shin bones to feed the new ligament through the sockets and link it with an implant. The ligament will eventually be surrounded by new bone. Stitches or surgical staples will be used to close the minor incisions.
FAQ
How long does ligament reconstruction take?
This surgery should take Dr Street between two and three hours to complete.
Is ligament reconstruction painful?
You will experience some postoperative pain, but Dr Street will ensure you have a prescription for pain management medicines.
How long does it take to recover from ligament reconstruction?
Depending on the procedure and your condition, you could take between six weeks and six months to recover.
LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION
Your knee is made up of four ligaments.
These are:
The Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) – connects the thighbone to the shinbone. The ACL prevents your shinbone from moving forward and provides stability to your knee.
The Medial Collateral ligament (MCL) –stabilises the inner knee.
The Lateral Collateral ligament (LCL) – provides stability to the outer knee.
The Posterior Cruciate ligament (PCL) – is in the middle of your knee and controls the backward and forward movement of your shinbone and also provides stability to your knee.
If you damage one of these ligaments, you may experience pain, swelling and instability. A ligament can rupture following a traumatic accident, causing knee instability and a locking sensation. This could make it difficult to partake in everyday activities and can restrict you from participating in sports that require you to change direction often. Knee instability is felt more during rotational movements of the leg.
These injuries most often occur when an unnatural and forced twisting motion happens in the knee. A sudden, direct and hard impact to the knee can also cause a torn or otherwise injured ligament. This most commonly happens on the sports field during play or training and may or may not involve contact with another player.
Not all knee ligament injuries require surgery, but surgery will most likely be required if the injury causes instability of the knee
What does ligament reconstruction entail?
Dr Street operates on knee ligaments as an outpatient procedure, so no hospital stay is required. The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia, frequently with the help of a drug that blocks local nerves. An instrument with a camera attached to it, known as an arthroscope, is introduced into the joint to observe the torn ligament and evaluate the meniscal and cartilage damage. The procedure is subsequently performed using several small tools. Part of a tendon close to the knee is cut out by making a tiny incision. The new ligament inserted into the knee to repair the torn ligament is built using this tendon fragment. Small sockets are formed in the thigh and shin bones to feed the new ligament through the sockets and link it with an implant. The ligament will eventually be surrounded by new bone. Stitches or surgical staples will be used to close the minor incisions.
FAQ
How long does ligament reconstruction take?
This surgery should take Dr Street between two and three hours to complete.
Is ligament reconstruction painful?
You will experience some postoperative pain, but Dr Street will ensure you have a prescription for pain management medicines.
How long does it take to recover from ligament reconstruction?
Depending on the procedure and your condition, you could take between six weeks and six months to recover.