How a Sports Medicine Doctor Can Treat Your ACL Injury
Whether you’re a hobbyist athlete or going professional, everyone involved in sports and fitness needs a San Francisco sports medicine doctor. They have the experience and skills to make sure you can get back on your feet after any accident, including ACL tears and other knee injuries. A complex joint, the knee requires special, precise care to heal properly.
At The Institute for Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine in San Francisco, California, Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht and his experienced team of ACL surgeons in San Francisco evaluate ACL injuries and let you know if you need a conservative or surgical treatment to restore strength and mobility to your knee joint.
The basics of ACL injuries
Your knee is the largest joint in your body, even bigger than your hip. While the human knee is incredibly sturdy, high-intensity sports like soccer, basketball, and football can quickly lead to injuries.
One common injury is the ACL tear. Your knee consists of three bones: shinbone (tibia), thighbone (femur), and kneecap (patella). These bones are held together by four ligaments: the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate, medial collateral, and lateral collateral.
As the name implies, the anterior cruciate ligament is located in front, right behind the kneecap. The ACL is commonly injured during:
- Sharp turns or stops
- Slowing down or turning while running
- Collisions (like football tackles, or accidental impact on the soccer field)
- Awkward landings when jumping
You might feel a “pop” followed by severe pain and instability. This is often followed by swelling, tenderness, inflammation, and a loss of motion. It is important that you get in to see a San Francisco knee doctor to get evaluated.
Treatment options for ACL injuries
Previously, an ACL tear could be a career-ending injury, but modern athletes have over a 90% chance of returning to their pre-injury performance levels. This is accomplished using physical therapy, regenerative medicine, and surgical procedures.
Many patients with ACL tears require surgery to fully recover, but conservative methods can be used in some cases. Surgery for ACL injuries is extremely specialized, and you should only pursue treatment with an experienced surgeon. The techniques for treating this injury are constantly advancing, and every case is different.
Surgical techniques for ACL injuries include:
- Suture repair, a rare technique that’s used in situations where the tendon is intact
- Reconstruction, which is done using harvested tissue from your patella tendon, hamstrings, or a donor (cadaver)
- ACL tightening, a new technique that tightens stretched ligaments
All ACL surgeries are done arthroscopically, using the newest techniques possible. You should be able to bear weight and begin moving immediately after surgery.
To learn more about ACL injuries and the surgical techniques mentioned here, get in touch with Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht, an experienced knee surgeon in San Francisco. You can schedule a consultation by calling 415-233-7996, or book an appointment online.
For more information, please visit this site: https://www.iasm.com/contents/about/dr-jeffrey-l-halbrecht/presentations