Epiphyseal Sparing ACL Reconstruction
Revolutionizing pediatric ACL surgery and getting young athletes back to the sports they Love. Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 12, 2008 -- A relatively new procedure known as epiphyseal sparing ACL reconstruction means that young athletes with serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries need no longer be forced to sit on the sidelines for several years prior to resuming their sporting endeavors. Prepubescent athletes who have sustained such injuries can now return to action six months post procedure. Many injured athletes continue to sit out their most robust years, unaware that the procedure, developed about three years ago, is available to them. Houston orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Sanders of the Sanders Clinic has successfully performed over 50 epiphyseal sparing ACL reconstruction procedures. "We know that these are the most athletically active years in a young person's life and believe it is no longer necessary to cause these young people to give up the activities which they covet most," Sanders said. "For many youngsters, denying them the opportunity to participate in sports means diminishing their quality of life." Traumatic knee injuries were previously common only among high school, college and professional athletes, but with the ever increasing competitive nature of kids' sports, they are showing up more and more in children as young as their preteens. Serious ACL injuries to prepubescent athletes often brought about an abrupt roadblock to their budding sporting careers as performing the type of surgery used to rectify similar injuries adults often would result in the disruption of bone growth and a short or crooked leg. The athlete would typically have to refrain from competitive sports until corrective surgery could be performed when he or she turned 16. Epiphyseal sparing ACL reconstruction utilizes expendable tissue from the lateral aspect the thigh and avoids drilling through the growth plates. The procedure involves a zero risk of growth disturbance and a very low probability of requiring the typical adult surgery when the bones stop growing. Studies, including one published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (2007), have shown the procedure to be safe and effective with minimal risk of injury recurrence. "ACL surgery is not for everyone," Dr. Sanders warned. "After surgery, exercises are started immediately. At the beginning, they are painful, and not fun. Despite the appearance of the bones on X-ray, the occurrence of menarche in girls and facial hair in boys, these athletes are still children. A young person must be sufficiently emotionally mature to power on through this period. If not, surgery is best deferred until a sufficient amount of emotional maturity has developed." After ACL reconstruction, young athletes are no longer at excessive risk for further episodes of knee subluxation (giving way) and subsequent injury to the menisci. At 90 days post surgery, nearly all of those patients with the adult procedure are able to return to their favored sport without a knee brace. Those with epiphyseal sparing procedures may return to sports at 180 days. For these children, a knee brace is an option. "We must keep in mind that these youngsters are exactly the ones that continue to put their knees at risk when they return," Sanders said. "Typically 10 to 15 percent of them will re-tear their reconstruction as a result of another equally serious accident. In order to prevent such recurrence, we have initiated a program to improve balance and neuromuscular coordination. After a successful neuromuscular program, tears of the opposite ACL, and/or ACL graft are uncommon." ###
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