Description
When ACL surgery is recommended, it’s not always just about replacing the torn ligament. In this video, a UAMS orthopedic specialist explains the additional procedures that may be performed during ACL reconstruction to protect the knee and reduce the risk of future injury. Learn how meniscus repair, partial meniscectomy, and a technique called lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) can help stabilize the knee, support the ACL, and significantly lower the chances of re-tearing it — especially for high-level athletes.
This clear breakdown helps patients understand why surgeons may recommend extra steps during ACL surgery and how these options support long-term knee health and performance.
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Transcript
I think one of the things that we talk about at the time of an ACL reconstruction is what other procedures or what other things need to be done. Besides providing a new ACL in the form of a graft, we also need to address any meniscal tears.
The meniscus is a fibrocartilage ring on the inside and outside of your knee that really serves as a shock absorber in many cases. It also helps your ACL do its job — it helps stabilize the knee.
In many cases, we like to repair the meniscus with small sutures if it’s warranted. In some cases, when the meniscus isn’t repairable or it’s a very small tear, we can trim that meniscus out — that’s called a partial meniscectomy.
The other thing that I talk to many of my patients about, particularly if they have risk factors for reinjury, is a lateral extra-articular tenodesis. It’s a big, long word — we just call it an LET most of the time. What we can do is take a small strip of the IT band, or iliotibial tract, on the outside of your knee and connect it to the outside of your femur. What that does is it helps the ACL do its job and helps keep the two bones from twisting against each other.
We know from large, well-done, highly regarded studies that this can cut the risk of tearing your ACL a second time by 60 to 70%. So for my high-level athletes who face a relatively high risk of reinjury, I think it’s a great adjuvant to ACL reconstruction — it may help your knee feel a little bit more stable and also cut down the chances of ever needing a second ACL reconstruction.
