Should you have your ACL reconstructed? When a person is in middle-age, such as in his or her 40s or 50s, it is not uncommon to tear the anterior cruciate ligament. This is especially true if the person is participating in athletic activities such as basketball, soccer, or even baseball. If you care your ACL in your 20s or 30s, is not really difficult decision about whether or not to have the ACL reconstruction surgery. But what should you do if your middle-age and you have an ACL tear? It is not always an easy decision. Years ago surgeons used to think that without an intact anterior cruciate ligament the patient would be predisposed to premature arthritis. Numerous studies have now looked at this and have shown patients are not predisposed to arthritis without an ACL reconstruction. So what should be done? If degenerative arthritis is not necessarily going to result from not having the surgery, what should be the deciding factors in the decision process? The 1st is looking at the individuals activity level. If the person participates in those athletic activities such as skiing or soccer, it typically is a good idea to have the ligament reconstructed. The reason is that notwithstanding the risk of arthritis, there is a risk of further injury from having the instability and not being able to perform the twisting and cutting maneuvers necessary in the sporting events. Without having an intact ACL, it can make the knee feel very unstable and give out during athletic activity. The person may then suffer further injury as a result. In making the decision, it would be prudent to seek out an orthopedic sports medicine doctor who has a lot of experience in ACL reconstruction. Dr. Sumit Dewanjee with FXRX has this experience as a Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Sports surgeon specializing in knee, shoulder and hip problems along with fracture treatment and orthopedic bracing. FXRX is the premier practice of knee surgeons in Phoenix in the state and also has the best
