ACL Tear Repair Without Surgery

Do you have an MRI-confirmed partial or complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and have been told surgery is your only option?

Perc-ACLR (percutaneous ACL repair) is a procedure that Regenexx physicians created to treat full and partial anterior cruciate ligament tears non-surgically. ACL tears are one of the more common knee injuries we treat, and many non-retracted full and partial tears can be treated in all but the most serious cases.

Repair of ACL tear without surgery

You have some important things to consider in making the best decision for your recovery, your return to sport or normal activity, and, ultimately, your long-term health. At Regenexx, our goal is to save your ACL, not replace it. The existing research and our significant expertise support the possibility for successful natural healing of ACL injuries.

The Per-ACLR is a highly precise X-ray guided injection of your own orthopedic bone marrow concentrate and can be completed in one day. It is far less invasive than surgery, and generally requires far shorter recovery times.

Perc-ACLR Surgery
Procedure Invasiveness Much less Much more
Return to Sports 3 to 6 months 1 year
Keep your ACL Yes NO
Recovery Brace, much less extensive PT Crutches, brace, extensive PT

How Does Regenexx Work?

At Regenexx, we invented a new approach to orthopedic care we call Interventional Orthopedics. This minimally invasive alternative to ACL surgery uses ultrasound-guided technology to precisely inject your own bone marrow concentrate — which contains stem cells — directly where it’s needed in the joint.

The cells in your bone marrow concentrate work at the site of your injury to promote your body’s natural healing abilities to treat the tear and avoid surgery1.

The procedure usually occurs over one day. First, your Regenexx doctor will extract a small amount of bone marrow using precise imaging guidance, a specialized extraction technique unique to Regenexx.

Once the marrow is drawn and processed by a Regenexx lab technician, you will have time to relax before the reinjection of the harvested bone marrow concentrate into your ACL, done three to six hours later.

Specialized local anesthesia is applied before the reinjection using fluoroscopy (real-time imaging guidance). MRI imaging along with X-ray contrast is used to carefully map the torn ligament during the procedure, providing a “roadmap” for your doctor to implant bone marrow concentrate into the damaged areas of the ligament.

After the procedure, your joint will be sore for one to three days, but the pain will become less severe and less frequent within five to seven days. Most patients note that they see improvement to their ACL within a month and can resume light activities and begin physical therapy.

Am I a candidate?

Watch a real patient’s Regenexx procedure

BEFORE and AFTER Procedure MRI Images

Take a look at the outcomes of patients who had a procedure instead of ACL surgery.

The BEFORE shows a torn ACL. The area should be a dark band going diagonally, as shown on the AFTER.

Knee MRI ACL Tear Before & After
Knee MIR ACL Tear Before & After

Get started to see if you are a Regenexx candidate

To talk one-on-one with one of our team members about how Regenexx may be able to help your orthopedic pain or injury, please complete the form below and we will be in touch with you within the next business day.


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