Aims, Results And Expectations

The aim of the operation is to prevent repeated episodes of giving way or buckling of the knee. Published research shows that approximately 90% of patients consider their knee to function normally, or nearly normally, after surgery. Full contact sport is allowed after rehabilitation but not everyone gets back to his or her previous level. Return to sport depends on the time period since injury and other personal or work factors. It is important to emphasise that the new ligament is not a “normal” ligament. Re-creating stability with the graft is only one aspect of attempting to improve knee function after injury. Other problems such as joint surface damage or meniscal tears may co-exist which can interfere with the joint’s ability to tolerate high loads associated with sport and other arduous activities. Also, the wear-and-tear arthritis associated with ligament injury is not necessarily prevented by reconstruction surgery and the risk of developing osteo-arthritis of the knee in later life is higher once the ligament has been torn.