Common Injuries

ACL Tears
One of the most common sports injuries requiring treatment by CNOS surgeons is a torn ACL, a knee injury that occurs five to six times more often in women than in men. Caused by the side-to-side movements required in many fast-paced sports, ACL tears used to be treated by bracing and rest. Although this approach will lead to a decrease in swelling and pain over time, doctors now know that ACL tears require more aggressive treatment in order to heal completely. Unlike a lot of ligaments in the body, the ACL does not heal on its own. If people just stay off the knee until the inflammation goes down and then go back to activities that involve sprinting and pivoting, they will start to experience that knee giving out.

The ACL is designed to prevent the tibia from translating forward relative to the femur and to prevent knee rotation. You actually have to start over and create a new ligament, by either using part of the patient's own patellar or hamstring tendon or an allograft. We make a tunnel in the tibia and on the femur where the ACL normally attaches. If there are meniscus tears, we repair those, too, and try to preserve as much as possible. Thanks to advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques and instrumentation, ACL repair can be performed arthroscopically through a single small incision and a few small punctures. Over 95% of athletes can go back and play any sport they want to play with no problems, if necessary, they can be braced to help them get through the season, and do the reconstruction at the end of the season.

Another common knee problem in young athletes involves the breakdown of cartilage at the end of the thighbone, usually
due to an injury or accident. By grafting cartilage from another part of the body or from cadaver tissue, CNOS surgeons can help patients regrow the body's natural cushion, and improve their chances for a strong and pain-free joint throughout their lives.

Labrum and Rotator Cuff Tears
Rotator cuff tears in older, less active people may not need to be repaired, most patients who live active lifestyles should address the issue in order to preserve long-term shoulder function.

During rotator cuff surgery, surgeons move the dislodged rotator cuff back down to its normal site on the humeral head.
Arthroscopic technology has improved shoulder surgery dramatically in the last decade, yielding better results, less pain and a better postsurgical range of motion. Less pain also means patients can engage in more aggressive rehabilitation
therapy afterwards, for faster and more comfortable recovery. Performing this surgery arthroscopically gives us complete visualization of the entire glenohumeral joint, which cannot happen with an open procedure. The camera allows surgeons to see under the rotator cuff and often reveals other problems, such as labral tears or partial bicep tendon tears that also need to be addressed in order to reduce pain. Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction - the so-called "Tommy John" operation - is designed to repair injuries to the medial side of the elbow that can happen in sports that involve throwing. Athletes who overuse their elbow by throwing too much in a single day, not resting appropriately or starting too young can damage these ligaments, resulting in a loss of velocity and control.

The good news is that, with this operation, about 85% of people can get back to throwing and competing at the same level as they did prior to the injury.