ACL surgery for dummies

ACL surgery sounds like cake. Just follow these 7 simple steps, and you can perform it in the comfort of your own home!

Equipment:

Scalpel

Arthroscope

High-speed shaver

Drill

Sutures

Sterile dressing

1) Arthroscopic exam of the inside of the knee. Cut three small gashes in the knee, then insert arthroscope (fiber-optic camera) so you can see inside the knee.

2) "Harvest" the graft from the hamstring: make an incision along the inside edge of the knee and remove the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons.

3) Arrange the tendons into four strips. Stitch these strips together to hold them in place.

4) Remove the old ACL with the "high-speed shaver." (Eep!)

5) Drill tunnels into the femur and tibia so the graft can be placed.

6) Pass the graft though the tunnels you drilled; tense it; and fix it in place using surgical sutures. (Some surgeons also braid the graft first.)

7) Close the incisions and use a sterile dressing to cover the wound. Ta da!