What Happens When You Tear Your ACL?
Surgery is a 75-minute outpatient operation. Most people have what’s called a tendon graft. The surgeon reconnects your torn ACL using a piece of tissue from another part of your body or from a cadaver.
In the "autograft" version of the procedure, the doctor uses one of your own tendons. It could be the patellar tendon, which connects your knee cap to your lower leg. This is considered the gold standard, and it’s the option Schmitz chose. You can also use hamstring tendons from the big muscle on the back of your leg, or the quadriceps tendon from the big muscle on the front of your leg.
With an "allograft," the tissue comes from a cadaver. Your doctor will get it from a certified tissue bank. These rebuilds work just as well as autografts most of the time, though there is a higher risk that the graft will tear again if it’s used in young people. This is the option Palmer and Vargo chose.
In either case, the goal is to “create a structure that looks like an ACL,” Cosgarea says. Your surgeon drills tunnels through the bone to house the new graft. He threads the new ligament through the tunnels and anchors it on both sides. Over time it grows into the bone and becomes part of your body.
Physical therapy begins in the recovery room. You’ll do some exercises and get your crutches. You might or might not get a brace -- it’s up to your doctor. Here’s what you can expect over the next few weeks:
1-3 weeks: You’ll get your stitches out between 1 and 2 weeks. If your job isn’t active, you can probably go back to work after the first week. Rehab will focus on straightening your knee, strengthening your quad, and getting the swelling down. You may ride a bike, do toe and heel raises, and learn to walk with a normal gait. You’ll walk without crutches by the end of week 2, unless you had repairs to other parts of your knee. You can drive when you’re off the crutches.
ACL Tear: It Can Happen to Anyone
Will You Need Surgery? continued...
Surgery is a 75-minute outpatient operation. Most people have what’s called a tendon graft. The surgeon reconnects your torn ACL using a piece of tissue from another part of your body or from a cadaver.
In the "autograft" version of the procedure, the doctor uses one of your own tendons. It could be the patellar tendon, which connects your knee cap to your lower leg. This is considered the gold standard, and it’s the option Schmitz chose. You can also use hamstring tendons from the big muscle on the back of your leg, or the quadriceps tendon from the big muscle on the front of your leg.
With an "allograft," the tissue comes from a cadaver. Your doctor will get it from a certified tissue bank. These rebuilds work just as well as autografts most of the time, though there is a higher risk that the graft will tear again if it’s used in young people. This is the option Palmer and Vargo chose.
In either case, the goal is to “create a structure that looks like an ACL,” Cosgarea says. Your surgeon drills tunnels through the bone to house the new graft. He threads the new ligament through the tunnels and anchors it on both sides. Over time it grows into the bone and becomes part of your body.
A Recovery Timeline
Physical therapy begins in the recovery room. You’ll do some exercises and get your crutches. You might or might not get a brace -- it’s up to your doctor. Here’s what you can expect over the next few weeks:
1-3 weeks: You’ll get your stitches out between 1 and 2 weeks. If your job isn’t active, you can probably go back to work after the first week. Rehab will focus on straightening your knee, strengthening your quad, and getting the swelling down. You may ride a bike, do toe and heel raises, and learn to walk with a normal gait. You’ll walk without crutches by the end of week 2, unless you had repairs to other parts of your knee. You can drive when you’re off the crutches.
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