ACL Reconstruction in Abuja
ACL surgery is the surgical reconstruction or replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. The thighbone (femur), shinbone (tibia), and patella (kneecap) meet to form your knee joint. Ligaments connect these bones to each other. Your ACL is one type of knee ligament. It is a band of tough, fibrous connective tissue that stabilizes your knee.
Most ACL injuries happen during sports and fitness activities that can put stress on the knee:
- Suddenly slowing down and changing direction (cutting)
- Pivoting with your foot firmly planted
- Landing from a jump incorrectly
- Stopping suddenly
- Receiving a direct blow to the knee
ACL Reconstruction required if,
- You’re an athlete and want to continue in your sport, especially if the sport involves jumping, cutting or pivoting
- More than one ligament or the meniscus in your knee is injured
- The injury is causing your knee to buckle during everyday activities
- You’re young (though other factors, such as activity level and knee instability, are more important than age)
Types of ACL surgery
Injured or torn ACLs do not heal well by sewing the ligament back together. Instead, ACL reconstruction surgery uses a connective tissue graft to rebuild or replace your injured ACL. Both ligaments and tendons are connective tissues. Your body heals around the graft over several months.
Types of ACL surgery procedures,
- Allograft reconstruction. An allograft is a piece of cadaver connective tissue, usually a tendon. Allografts come from a tissue bank. Allograft reconstructions require only one incision and cause less pain than an autograft fusion.
- Autograft reconstruction. An autograft is a piece of your own connective tissue. Doctors usually take an autograft from a piece of the patellar (kneecap) tendon. This is the gold standard for ACL autograft reconstruction.
- Synthetic or artificial graft reconstruction. Artificial ligament graft materials have been studied in trials but have not performed as well as human tissue grafts. Synthetic grafts are still experimental at this time.
- Xenograft reconstruction. A xenograft is a piece of connective tissue taken from non-human animal sources. Medical scientists are currently conducting human trials of xenograft reconstructions.