ACL Tear Management Without Surgery In Idaho Falls, ID

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

2635 Channing Way
Idaho Falls, ID 83404

Request an Appointment

Call to Schedule Schedule Online

Doctors

Her goal as a physician is to restore people to as close to optimum health as possible. She is passionate about the evolution of regenerative medicine and believes in the body’s innate capacity for healing. And she is equally passionate about her home in southeastern Idaho.

Though she initially graduated with a BA in English, she was eventually drawn to medicine, feeling called to help people toward health and healing. So she went back and completed the science requirements to earn a BS as well.

As someone who enjoys skiing, ultrarunning, and wandering through the wilderness herself, she has a particular interest in treating athletes of all ages and enjoys helping masters athletes continue to perform at a high level into their later years of athletics. And she served as team physician for the University of Utah men’s ice hockey team.

Additionally, she has traveled to Nepal for a high-altitude research project close to Mt. Everest base camp, as well as Denali to serve as physician at the 14,000-foot base camp during climbing season.

View Full Profile

As a physician, Dr. Cooper’s mission is to assist in the improvement of function to anyone that feels physical limitations and allow them to enjoy their life to the fullest capacity. Though he began his college education in business administration, during his senior year of college, he discovered that the reward of assisting others with their ailments was his real passion.

He has had extensive training in the treatment of a wide variety of limitations that include spasticity secondary to neurologic issues, sports injuries and concussions, and non-surgical treatment of peripheral nerve and joint injuries. He is passionate about providing top-of-the-line treatment to his patients to improve their functional abilities and give them more freedom to enjoy day-to-day life.

Throughout his life, Dr. Cooper has enjoyed participating in sports of a wide variety from football, baseball, and golf to water skiing and snowboarding. As a “weekend warrior” athlete, he has always had an interest in human anatomy and how small alterations in it can lead to massive functional changes.

He feels lucky to get to return to the Snake River Valley, as he believes it is the perfect place to raise his four children with the same principles that he had in his childhood.

View Full Profile

I became a doctor because of my desire to serve and help those in need. I wanted a career that allowed me to help those within my community and establish personal connections with people. My mission is to assist in the restoration of function of those who have limitations to allow them to enjoy life to their fullest capacity. I believe the best way to care for my patients is to have them fully involved in their care and to have a shared decision making in their treatment plan and to address all concerns or questions to empower my patients to take charge of their own health and journey to a better life.

I recently returned to Idaho Falls in July of 2022 after completing fellowship and have been practicing medicine within the community since arriving. I however was born and raised in Idaho Falls and am excited to return to the community I was raised in and serve the great people of this area.

I have extensive training in treatment of a wide variety of limitations secondary to neurologic issues, sports injuries, non-surgical treatment of peripheral nerve and joint injuries, neck and low back pain and nerve related pain. I’m passionate about providing the highest quality care and top of the line treatment for my patients. I’m proud to be a part of the North American Spine Society, Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and am board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

I enjoy participating in several sports and outdoor activities including tennis, basketball, baseball, backcountry snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, boating, and mountain biking. I’m married with four children and our dog and we thoroughly enjoy being outside and enjoying all that southeast Idaho has to offer.

View Full Profile

Areas Treated

Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Elbow, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Shoulder, Thoracic Spine

*This provider is NOT authorized by Regenexx to treat the C0-C1 or C1-C2 levels of the neck or CCI (craniocervical instability).

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.

Regenexx For ACL Tears: Perc-ACLR

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

Request an Appointment

TO TOP