Your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of the largest ligaments in your knee. ACL injuries require an expert’s attention, and a Bay Area sports medicine doctor could be the right fit.
Damaging your ACL often leads to surgery. Unfortunately, repairing the torn ligament doesn’t often work. Your Bay Area ACL specialist or surgeon may need to rely on replacing the ligament, instead. A process that can be costly, painful, and challenging from a recovery standpoint. Promising new research from Harvard, however, indicates that future ACL treatments may forego surgery altogether and rely on encouraging the ligament to heal itself.
The research indicates that creating a bridge in the ligament with stitches and a type of spongy scaffolding can encourage the localized cells to start to regrow and rejoin the torn ends of the ligament. Studies conducted so far have yielded successful results. Over time, those who have had the self-repair treatment have experienced fewer incidents of injury-related arthritis.
One common traditional treatment involves harvesting tissue to reconstruct the torn ligament. Self-repair treatment, meanwhile, completely eliminates the need for extra tissue.
ACL tears can cause significant swelling and pain. If you hear a popping sound in your knee followed by pain or swelling, see a knee doctor as soon as possible. While minor injuries may correct themselves with rest and physical therapy, an alternative treatment like ACL self-repair may be necessary. The FDA has approved the first study of treatment in humans. If everything goes well, the procedure may become routine treatment for a torn ACL.
If you or someone you love has recently experienced a significant ACL injury, call 415-923-0944 and talk to a Bay Area ACL doctor here at IASM about treatment options. You’ll be able to stop worrying and start taking effective steps to healing and getting back to your normal routine.
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