ACL Surgery
ACL surgery is expensive, averaging from $10,000 to 12,000 in the U.S. Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC) injections, a more affordable alternative, aim to heal torn ACLs without surgery. Research shows promising results, with some patients experiencing reduced pain and improved function, making it a potentially cost-effective option.
Subscribe to the BlogWhy the Idea That an ACL Can Heal Itself Is Surgical Sacrilege
As I have written before, if modern surgical sports medicine has one sacred cow, it’s ACL reconstruction. That’s why the fact that we have dozens of MRI examples of non-healing torn ACLs improving with our Perc-ACLR procedure has raised eyebrows. Now a new study that shows that some ACLs can heal themselves has apparently angered…read more
PRP Injections for Knee ACL Tears: A Few Sandwiches Short of a Picnic
When I was in medical school I had a British girlfriend who used to use the very English expression, “A few sandwiches short of a picnic”. That saying immediately came to mind as I reviewed a new study published by orthopedic surgeons in the middle east as they compared ACL surgery to PRP injection. It…read more
ACL Surgery Is Not Cost Effective in New Study
As I have written before, ACL surgery is a sacred cow of modern surgical sports medicine. It is the single procedure that most defines the whole field. Despite that, the recent research on the procedure hasn’t been favorable. Now a recent study adds to that by showing that the way we use the procedure in…read more
ACL Reconstruction Surgery Is a Second Hit to the Cartilage: Time to Rethink Orthopedics?
ACL reconstruction (ACLR) surgery is a sacred cow of modern orthopedic sports medicine. Most surgeons view it as the first major advancement in that specialty beyond the use of the arthroscope itself. However, this has been an awful decade for orthopedic surgical research with study after study showing that common surgeries are ineffective or harmful.…read more
ACL Reconstruction Recovery? Can You Get Back to Sports after ACL Injury?
Most athletes and weekend warriors that tear their ACL believe that getting a new one is like getting a bad part replaced in their car. You go in for some surgery and after a while, you’re good as new. But is that really what ACL reconstruction recovery looks like? Not so much. Will you return…read more Torn ACL Recovery Time?
How quickly can you get back to sports after a torn ACL? Can an ACL tear heal without surgery? If you have surgery, how long does it take to get back to sports? Let’s dig in to define torn ACL recovery time. What is the ACL? The ACL is a ligament that lives in the…read more The Serious Long-Term Effects of ACL Reconstruction Surgery
On this page: Long-term effects of ACL reconstruction surgery Nerve interaction with ligaments like the ACL Research on the ACL and the gamma loop We tend to take for granted that our bodies are finely tuned machines and complex neural circuitry allows them to do the amazing things we’re designed to do. A 2011 study…read more Can a Ligament Grow Back? Getting an Athlete’s ACL to Heal
On this page: What is the ACL and can it grow back? Can ACL tears be treated without surgery? An athlete’s ACL story We began treating ACL tears using x-ray guidance and high-dose bone marrow concentrate back in 2011 before anyone else was performing that procedure and frankly before anyone else was doing much of…read more
