Center for ACL Injuries

How do I know if I’ve torn my ACL?

Most people have the following symptoms:

• Swelling within a few hours of the injury

• Loss of Motion

• Loss of ability to extend and flex the knee

• Distinctive “pop” heard

• “Giving-way” episodes. Your knee may collapse and you fall to the ground

• Pain

• Some people are able to continue their activity; some people’s knees collapse and they cannot walk normally

You may also experience:

• Knee “catching” or “locking”. If your knee gets stuck in position, you may also have a meniscus tear.

*Swelling and loss of motion are the two biggest clues pointing to a torn ACL.

When should I see a physician?

If your symptoms last more than two days, you should seek the proper medical care; a sports medicine trained physician. If your pain and swelling are severe seek attention immediately to make sure a fracture has not occurred. Even if you have a partial ACL tear, we recommend that everyone see a sports medicine physician who will tell you exactly what you are dealing with. Sixty percent of people who have an ACL tear also have a meniscus tear. If you have a meniscus tear your knee is probably catching or locking, indicating that the meniscus is “flipped up into the joint” preventing knee motion.

Is an ACL tear associated with other injuries?

Yes, the meniscus is an important shock absorber to the knee, when the knee gives way, the meniscus are frequently torn and require repair if possible.  Athletes are warned not to allow giving way events which can seriously damage the knee and cause arthritis in later years

Why should I see a sports medicine-trained orthopaedic surgeon?

The training of an orthopaedic surgeon involves many years of undergraduate, medical school, and residency education. The specialization of sports medicine involves additional training, usually at an educational center where a fellowship year is completed. This involves advanced training in arthroscopic surgery, required in the treatment of most knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow and sports medicine-related injuries. The sports medicine-trained surgeon also has knowledge of specific rehabilitation and muscle performance issues to safely regain function and return patients to athletics. A sports medicine center combines the disciplines of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and more to totally heal all aspects of an injury.

Will I Need Surgery?

There are four factors that determine the answer to that question.

The answer is “no” if:
You have a sedentary lifestyle requiring no particularly strenuous activity; then you may not need surgery. However, that does not mean you should not seek treatment. Conservative treatment does not mean no treatment. You must still be under an orthopaedic surgeon’s care and go through rehabilitation to strengthen your knee. If not, you may have additional “giving-way” episodes which continue to damage the structures in the knee, causing arthritis. Ultimately we want to prevent arthritis.

The answer is an immediate “yes” if:
Your knee is locking or catching, several times daily. As we mentioned above, you may also have a meniscus tear. This is the only time you will require surgery within a few days after your injury. A meniscus tear needs to be repaired immediately if it is causing your knee to catch or lock.

The answer is also “yes” if:
You are an active person or have a physically demanding occupation, we suggest you have your ACL repaired. We have a 95% success rate with ACL reconstructions. Advances in repair techniques and rehabilitation have made the surgery much more appealing and successful for all active individuals, not just the highly competitive athletes who were the primary candidates for ACL reconstructions 15 years ago.

Before you can have surgery, several things will need to happen:

• Knee swelling must be eliminated

• You must go through 2 to 4 weeks of rehabilitation to regain joint motion and muscle function after the injury. It is easy to lose muscle very quickly. Rehabilitation focuses teaching important exercises to regain muscle strength in addition to mental preparation for the surgery. Though an ACL reconstruction is a relatively common procedure, with more than 50,000 performed each year, it is still major surgery. The stronger your knee and attitude before surgery, the better your surgical outcome will be.

The answer is also “yes” if:
You continue to have “giving-way” episodes. Repeated instances, when your knee gives-way and you fall to the ground, indicate you have a chronic knee problem. Surgical repair of the ACL can prevent future damage to the knee joint and resulting arthritis. It can also improve your quality of life.

What Are My Surgical Options?

At the Noyes Knee Institute, we prefer to use autograft tissue (taken from your own body) for most ACL reconstructions. There are three autograft tissue options that provide strength and viability equal to or greater than the ACL:

• Patellar Tendon

• Semitendinosus and Gracilis (hamstring) Tendons

• Quadriceps Tendon

Our physicians are also well-experienced with the implantation of allograft tissues (taken from a cadaver donor). We only use allograft tissues from tissue banks that are certified by the American Association of Tissue Banks and have passed FDA inspection. The allografts are irradiated to kill bacteria and many viruses. The level of irradiation (2.5 megarads) does not harm the biomechanical properties or healing capabilities of the allograft tissues. We use two types of allografts for ACL reconstruction::

• Patellar Tendon

• Achilles Tendon

Most surgeons recommend the procedure they are most comfortable with and have used the most frequently. We are fortunate at Cincinnati Sportsmedicine that we have a wide range of experience with all types of grafts and can recommend the one best suited for each individual patient.

A tremendous amount of research data exists on the outcome of each type of graft used for ACL reconstruction. In our extensive clinical studies, we have found that patellar tendon and hamstring tendon autografts have a higher success rate than allografts and that is why these are our preferred grafts for most patients. The exceptions are patients who have multiple ligaments that are ruptured and in whom autograft tissues are not available or feasible to use. Some patients who have had a prior ACL reconstruction which failed may be considered candidates for allograft reconstruction, especially if other ligaments also require surgical correction at the same time.

Is there a non-operative program for ACL injuries?

Yes, about one-third of patients may elect not to have ACL reconstruction, however they have to give up turning, twisting, jumping activities to prevent knee giving way episodes.  It is important to regain muscle strength and function to help support the knee joint.  In some cases custom braces also provide stability.

What is the success rate of ACL surgery?

The success is very high in the upper 90% range; however the patient must commit to a 12 month rehabilitation process to return to sports.  Recently, studies of athletes returning at 6 to 9 months have shown repeat failure rates of the ACL graft as high as 22 to 30%.  This is too high a failure rate and there are specific programs to avoid this.

What Can I Expect Following My Surgery?

Rehabilitation is an essential element or your recovery. The success of your ACL surgery is not only determined by an expert surgeon, but also by following a rigorous rehabilitation program. YOUR SURGERY MAY FAIL IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE RIGHT REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

There are two rehabilitation protocols we follow.

1. Accelerated Protocol
This rehabilitation program is designed for patients who have had an ACL reconstruction and have had no other surgical procedures, such as a meniscus repair. They do not have knee arthritis or damage to their joint lining. They have a “normal” joint and are highly competitive athletes who want to return to their sport ASAP.

This program involves:

• Immediate motion following surgery

• Strict, immediate rehab exercises

• Limited use of crutches, for comfort only, for 3 to 4 weeks

• Possible running as early as 12 weeks after surgery*

• Full sports activity resumed as early as five months after surgery*

*Only if certain muscle strength, ligament function and symptom criteria are met.

Click here to see our detailed accelerated rehabilitation protocol.

2. Delayed Protocol
This rehabilitation program is for everyone else. If you have had other major operative procedures, in addition to your ACL repair or if arthritis was discovered during the initial diagnostic arthroscopy.

This program involves:

• Immediate motion following surgery

• Immediate rehabilitation exercises

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• Crutches for 5 weeks

• Running, if desired, six months after surgery**

• Return to sports activity, if desired, eight months of rehabilitation**

***Only if certain muscle strength, ligament function and symptom criteria are met. Patients with arthritis are usually advised to return only to light recreational activity to avoid further joint damage.

Click here to see our detailed delayed rehabilitation protocol.

How do I avoid complications after surgery?

The Noyes Knee Institute ACL Reconstruction Program has one of the lowest complication rates reported to date in the medical literature. Two Noyes Knee Institute studies, some of the medical community’s largest on ACL complications, support our claim that our surgical techniques, followed by our rehabilitation programs are the most successful in the country. Expertise of the surgeon in understanding how to correctly place each graft, combined with the right rehabilitation program is based on a concept developed by Dr. Frank R. Noyes more than 25 years ago. The principles involve immediate knee motion, early functional use of the knee, early intervention with rehabilitation techniques if motion or strength is limited, allowing time for healing, maximizing neuromuscular training, and graduated return to high intensity sports to avoid injury.

What if after my surgery, I’m still having problems with my knee?

If your knee is loose and unstable, you continue to have pain, swelling, and giving-way, and you’ve already had an ACL reconstruction, then your surgery may have failed.  An ACL reconstruction fails for many reasons – fortunately, this occurs in only about 5% of patients. You should seek treatment with a center and orthopaedic surgeon highly trained and experienced with ACL revision surgery. We see patients from around the world who have had prior knee surgery and problems have occured. With our extensive experience, we have developed procedures, techniques, and rehablitation programs that are specially designed to help patients still attempt to achieve a good result.

What is the best program to prevent ACL surgery failure and need for a second operative procedure?

We have established excellent programs to test the patient to determine when muscular control, balance, coordination and strength have returned.  The ACL Center is one of the leading centers in the USA in developing these testing techniques.

Why do female athletes have such a high ACL injury rate?

The female athlete has an injury rate that is 4-6 times higher in comparison to male athletes. We have developed a special ACL women’s program that has been highly effective in regaining muscle strength and coordination and safely returning the female athlete to sports.  This program is called SportsMetrics and was developed at our Foundation and is the leading program in the WORLD for prevention of ACL injuries.  To learn more about Sportsmetrics, visit www.Sportsmetrics.org.  

What is unique and special about the Center for ACL Injuries?

The team approach of the MD-PT-ATC and other strength and conditioning specialists, that are among the highest trained professionals in the USA.  Our Knee Institute has been rated as one of the top 25 Knee Centers for treatment in North America.  Our staff tries  so hard to work with each patient and accomplish their goals.  Our patients consistently rate up at a 10 out of 10 points for excellence.  We are proud of all our accomplishments and national awards.  We invite every patient to see the difference we make in patient’s lives.