ACL Repair Surgeon
The ACL cannot, technically, heal on its own. However, there is a new FDA-approved material called the BEAR implant which can give the ACL a blood supply and a support-system to heal on its own. Doctor Ronak Mukesh Patel, orthopedic sports medicine specialist, treats patients from Sugar Land, Pearland and the Houston, Texas areas who have experienced an ACL tear or injury and who may benefit from the BEAR implant. Contact Dr. Patel’s team today!
I heard on the news that the ACL can heal itself.
It’s been all over the news recently: a report about a study in the British Journals of Sports Medicine showing the ACL healing itself. NBC ran the story – so it must be true, right?
The study shows promising evidence of ACL healing with a very specific bracing protocol; but there are many concerns about the methodology, patient selection, biases, and feasibility. For instance, there was no comparison group such as no bracing or standard ACL reconstruction to compare outcomes. Of 113 patients with an ACL tear who were offered the bracing protocol, 37 patients underwent surgery which leads to a biases. The bracing protocol required the knee to be bent at 90 degrees for 1 month at all times including sleeping and showering. A brace was used for 3 months total. Patients needed crutches for 2 months and most were placed on therapeutic doses of blood thinners to prevent blood clots. Full return to sport was not recommended until at least 9-12 months. These are difficult guidelines and don’t allow generalizability to most patients with ACL tears in my practice.
There are concerns about the outcomes where 10% of the participants had no ACL healing. There was a 14% rerupture rate at an average of 10 months from injury. This is concerning as the longer term rerupture rate is expected to be much higher. The study concludes that more studying needs to be done to monitor long term outcomes and the likelihood of re-tears which is reasonable.
So CAN the ACL heal itself?
The science behind the ACL healing itself says that it’s unlikely and rare. The reason for that is that the ACL does not have its own blood supply. Without a blood supply, a completely torn ACL cannot heal by itself.
We can help the ACL heal itself!
Sounds completely contradictory, already doesn’t it? But the truth is there is now a method of HELPING nature and science and thereby helping the ACL heal itself. …Sort of. The help comes from a new, innovative medical advancement that enables the patient’s own body to heal their torn ACL. The implant, called the Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair (BEAR) implant, is designed to serve as a scaffold that heals the pieces of a torn ACL and protects the healing blood in the gap between the torn ends. The implant is a type I collagen from bovine (cow) tissue. It allows the formation and stabilization of a blood clot, which is necessary for healing, and gives it a scaffold for healing.
The BEAR implant enables the patient’s own body to heal their torn ACL. Instead of using “substitute tissue” or an ACL graft with standard reconstruction surgery.
Are there limits for the BEAR Implant?
Yes, the BEAR implant does not work with ACL tissue that is torn completely off the tibia. Further, it is recommended to do the surgery within 50 days of injury although there may still be a role if there is healthy ACL tissue but studies are ongoing. Complete tears in the middle or fibers torn off the femur of the ACL have been shown to have the best BEAR self-healing outcomes. You can learn more about the BEAR implant HERE.
