About 250,000 people in the U.S. experience anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears every year, suffering with symptoms like pain, swelling, knee instability and decreased mobility. Fortunately, surgery for ACL tear has high success rates and high levels of satisfaction for patients who undergo the procedure, restoring joint function and mobility as well as improving the patient’s own quality of life.
The kneecap connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the shin bone. It allows us to bend and straighten our knees. The kneecap sits in a groove on the thigh bone.
When your knee functions normally – and without pain – it’s easy to take it for granted. Lots of joint components work together to support normal, pain-free movement in your knees. Among those components, the meniscus – a fibrous, crescent-shaped piece of cartilage – plays a very critical role. Each knee contains two “menisci,” and each serves similar purposes:
Education of other orthopedic surgeons on the benefits and techniques for cartilage restoration. Specifically, demonstrating a surgical technique for taking a patient’s own cartilage, growing more of it, and implanting it back into the knee. This is a technique called MACI.
ACL ruptures (tears) are common. Every year in the US, between 100,000 and 300,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries are performed.
