TP HCMMr. Long, 37 years old, broke his anterior cruciate ligament many times due to playing sports after surgery. Without treatment for a long time, the knee joint became loose and degenerated.
The third time Mr. Long ruptured his ligament was in 2018. Without further treatment, he endured persistent knee pain and difficulty walking. Now that the pain is worse, he went to the doctor.
On April 5, M.D. Nguyen Van Luu, Orthopedics Trauma Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has a failure rate of about 5%, causing re-rupture. ligaments or abnormalities in the knee joint. The cause may be due to an inappropriate physical therapy regimen, returning to sports too soon (before 6 months) or a new injury.
Mr. Long ruptured the ligament without treatment for a long time, leading to joint jamming due to torn meniscus, instability of the knee joint, effusion, and mild degeneration of the knee joint.
In order to repair the damage and restore knee joint mobility, the doctor prescribed reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with autologous tendons (taken from goose leg tendons). The all inside technique is less invasive, helping to limit the risk of bleeding, minimize soft tissue damage, and shorten recovery time.
The doctor uses a self-adjusting sling made from titanium combined with super-durable thread to strengthen the graft. The torn meniscus, causing the joint to become stuck, is reshaped. In addition to the anterior cruciate ligament, the anterior lateral ligament is also reconstructed with the iliotibial band, increasing the stability of the knee joint.
To avoid the risk of muscle atrophy and joint stiffness, which are complications that are difficult to recover from after ligament rupture, spinal anesthesia doctors use a multimodal pain relief model.
The second day after surgery, Mr. Long was no longer in pain and could walk independently and perform personal activities. Because of multiple ligament tears and late treatment, the patient was given a locking brace to adjust the flexion and extension of the knee joint and complied with a 6-month physical therapy program.
Dr. Luu recommends that ligament rupture is a very common injury when playing sports. Delayed treatment can lead to many complications such as prolonged pain, loose knee joints… Among them, promoting early osteoarthritis is the most serious, affecting mobility. Patients should see a doctor early to receive timely treatment. In case of ligament reconstruction surgery, at least 6 months of recovery is required before you can play sports again.
When a ligament re-ruptures, the recovery speed after treatment is slower than the first time, the risk of re-rupture a second or third time… is higher. Patients need to strictly follow the exercise regimen and protect the new ligament.