Internal Tape ACL
Discussion
I don't use it.
I can't buy into what it is trying to achieve and I've actually taken out some that other people put in, with problems.
Its not solving the problem that causes 5% of ACL recons to fail. I also think it can easily cause problems by shielding the new graft.
One of the big users/surgeons is also paid by the company that makes it......
I can't buy into what it is trying to achieve and I've actually taken out some that other people put in, with problems.
Its not solving the problem that causes 5% of ACL recons to fail. I also think it can easily cause problems by shielding the new graft.
One of the big users/surgeons is also paid by the company that makes it......
Www.arthroscopyjournal.org/article/S0749-8063(24)0...
Scientific, and one man's opinion, but a nice summary
Check out the Related Articles on the right of the screen too.
For my high risk ACLs, I use an LET and/or BTB
Scientific, and one man's opinion, but a nice summary
Check out the Related Articles on the right of the screen too.
For my high risk ACLs, I use an LET and/or BTB
I have very limited medical knowledge, but I do know a thing or two about knees as I had an ACL repair myself in 2010, and then a partial meniscectomy in 2018.
My ACL was repaired with a hamstring graft, and they also performed a meniscus repair at the same time. The meniscus repair then failed or partially failed (I started to get localised discomfort and locking of the knee due to loose fragments), so I had the partial menisectomy (approx 20% removed). The surgeon doing the op, a different surgeon to the original procedure, said my ACL repair had held up really well. I'm not sure what he based this on though!
It's an injury that nobody really knows a lot about unless they're medical professionals or have been through it themselves (great ice breaker at parties, I've lost hours comparing knee stories with strangers!).
I do still worry about the long term health of my knee but I manage to do a fair bit of recreational sport & running with no major pain. Occasionally the odd twinge.
Going back to the OP, I'm assuming you're asking because you've considering options for your own injury? From memory it took me about a year to get back to full activity, and I'm very content to have sacrificed that year to have minimal complications since. Cynically I'd say if a lot of surgeons aren't offering the internal tape, there isn't enough evidence to establish its long term success rate yet.
For me the physio/rehab was a massive thing, and you can start doing this now. It feels really basic and easy which is mentally tough if you're used to higher level sports, but it's the key to a successful recovery. I knew people who had the same injury around the same time as me who didn't take the rehab seriously and ended up with complications. Again, a very small sample size and other factors could have contributed to their reinjury, but why not give yourself the best chance you can?
My ACL was repaired with a hamstring graft, and they also performed a meniscus repair at the same time. The meniscus repair then failed or partially failed (I started to get localised discomfort and locking of the knee due to loose fragments), so I had the partial menisectomy (approx 20% removed). The surgeon doing the op, a different surgeon to the original procedure, said my ACL repair had held up really well. I'm not sure what he based this on though!
It's an injury that nobody really knows a lot about unless they're medical professionals or have been through it themselves (great ice breaker at parties, I've lost hours comparing knee stories with strangers!).
I do still worry about the long term health of my knee but I manage to do a fair bit of recreational sport & running with no major pain. Occasionally the odd twinge.
Going back to the OP, I'm assuming you're asking because you've considering options for your own injury? From memory it took me about a year to get back to full activity, and I'm very content to have sacrificed that year to have minimal complications since. Cynically I'd say if a lot of surgeons aren't offering the internal tape, there isn't enough evidence to establish its long term success rate yet.
For me the physio/rehab was a massive thing, and you can start doing this now. It feels really basic and easy which is mentally tough if you're used to higher level sports, but it's the key to a successful recovery. I knew people who had the same injury around the same time as me who didn't take the rehab seriously and ended up with complications. Again, a very small sample size and other factors could have contributed to their reinjury, but why not give yourself the best chance you can?
joeg said:
Thanks a lot- that’s great! i thought maybe was too good to be true- had a mate that just had one and he was bragging that he pretty much back to full activity at 4 months which was a lot quicker than my ACL with hamstring graft
Sorry I've just seen your further post. 4 months sounds ridiculously quick, I can't see that being a good idea at all. It needs to be a gradual return to activity to build the strength in the supporting muscles so based on that he must be thinking of loading the knee and starting to run on it by 2-3 months?!Don't know about your personal experience but I also remember the milestones not necessarily matching up to reality, at least in terms of how I felt. When I got to jogging stage (think it was 6 months post-op from memory), my physio was very encouraging and telling me to trust the knee but the discomfort was awful at first.
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