Active after ACL surgery
Edited By: Roger V. Larson, M.D.
Last updated Monday, May 21, 2007
Active after ACL surgeryWinter 2005 Breakthrough article - Active after AC 
Shannon Dillon is a junior in public health studies at the University of Washington and a forward on the Husky
Women’s Soccer team. She was excited to be back in the game this year after
spending nine months on the bench recovering from an ACL (anterior cruciate
ligament) tear.
“I was tackled during practice by a teammate last fall and
tore my ACL. It wasn’t painful initially. I heard it pop and then it got really
swollen,” Dillon recalls.
ACL tears are more common in people who play soccer and
basketball and four to eight times more prevalent in women. They cause
immediate discomfort and knee swelling.
“Left to their own devices, they might begin to feel quite
normal after a few weeks,” says DR. Roger Larson, UW associate professor of
orthopaedics and sports medicine, who performs nearly 200 AVL reconstructions
each year. “Without an intact ACL, however, the knee would tend to collapse
with maneuvers such as pivoting or rapid changes of direction.”
Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction is now an outpatient
procedure that involves harvesting a portion of the patellar tendon or a hamstring
tendon and transplanting it into the knee to create a new ACL. Recently,
tendons harvested from tissue donors have been used as ACL substitutes, thus
avoiding the injury caused from harvesting the patient’s own tendon. The new
ligament restores stability and function to the knee.
After surgery, patients use crutches for about two weeks
then embark on a graduated rehabilitation program. Patients are usually back to
most activities in about six to 12 weeks but must avid high-level pivoting
sports for about six to nine months.
Dillon had surgery on Nov. 2, 2004 following by several months
of rehabilitation. She swam and biked before she could run again. “Cutting side
to side across the field took longer to come back to than running in a forward
motion did.”
She began playing soccer again in August 2005 and wears a
special brace to protect her knee while playing.
“I think Dr. Larson is doing an awesome job. I had full
confidence that he and his team would make sure that I was back in the game,
but they didn’t rush me,” Dillon says.
For
more information about arthroscopic ACL surgery, call the Bone & Joint Surgery
Center at 206-598-4288 or
the UW Sports Medicine Clinic located in the Bank of America Arena at
206-543-1552. You can also request an appointment using our online referrals website.
To request a referral online, please
click here. Surgery for ACL at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-543-1552 to make an appointment.Disclaimer
This resource has been provided by the University of Washington Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine as general information only. This information may not apply to a specific patient. Additional information may be found at http://www.orthop.washington.edu or by contacting the UW Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
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