Lindsey Vonn. Derrick Rose. Tom Brady. Mickey Mantle. They have all fallen victim to the dreaded pop of the knee.
Connecting the femur to the tibia, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most devastating injuries in sports. No other injury has sidelined more athletes for a season or even the rest of a career. And ACL sprains and tears affect more people than just the pros. According to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 250,000 ACL surgeries are performed annually in the United States, totaling up to more than $500 million in health care costs each year.
Not only is the ACL inelastic and prone to popping, it is incapable of healing itself, causing surgeons to rely on autografts for reconstruction. Most common is the bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft, in which the surgeon removes part of the patellar tendon to replace the damaged ACL.
“BPTB autografts have a high incidence of knee pain and discomfort that does not go away,” said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and professor of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine. “By saving the patient’s patellar tendon and using an off-the-shelf product, one may have a better chance of preserving the natural biomechanics of the knee.”
Ameer and his research team are working to engineer such a product by combining three components: polyester fibers that are braided to increase strength and toughness, an inherently antioxidant and porous biomaterial previously created in Ameer’s lab, and calcium nanocrystals, a mineral naturally found in human teeth and bones. His work is described in the paper “A biodegradable tri-component graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction,” which was published in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.
Read more: Researchers Use Nanotechnology to Engineer ACL Replacements
The Latest on: ACL Replacement
via Google News
The Latest on: ACL Replacement
- Sports Medicine Devices Market to Incur Steady Growth $12,730 million by 2025 | CAGR 7.3%on December 1, 2019 at 6:35 pm
Common sport injuries include anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, ankle sprains ... registering a CAGR of 7.3% from 2018 to 2025. The body reconstruction & repair segment accounted for about three ...
- Jets cornerback Bless Austin gives thanks for every chance he getson November 29, 2019 at 10:27 pm
“I always appreciate every single day of the week.” Austin tore the same ACL twice while playing for Rutgers. The first time was in his fourth game as a junior. In his first game as a senior, he ...
- Cowboys injuries: Connor Williams has torn ACL; Amari Cooper’s MRI shows no damageon November 29, 2019 at 5:10 pm
FRISCO – Starting left guard Connor Williams will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee in about two to four weeks. Williams suffered the injury at some point during ...
- 5 things you didn’t know about sports medicineon November 29, 2019 at 7:57 am
For example, Dr. Cunningham specializes in shoulder and knee injuries, as well as orthopaedic trauma. He has pioneered ACL repair surgery in the mountains with a technique that uses small instruments ...
- ACL Looks Back At 70 Years Of Engine Bearing Manufacture In Australiaon November 26, 2019 at 11:59 am
As the industry grew, the company introduced a range of replacement bearings initially for the domestic aftermarket followed by supply to world markets. During this period the company acquired several ...
- ACL Injury: Types, Causes, Symptoms, How to recover | Rehab Stationon November 26, 2019 at 4:10 am
A person may not be able to reach their pre-injury activity status if the injury is managed conservatively. Thus, people who have a very active lifestyle (like athletes), or young individuals opt for ...
- Club to make move for Huddersfield Town player after key man suffers ACL ruptureon November 25, 2019 at 4:33 am
After Christian Luyindama picked up a serious knee injury during the recent international break, Galatasaray have entered the market for a central defender and are interested in signing ...
- Meniscus Repair Systems Market: Industry Trends and Analysis 2019-2027on November 24, 2019 at 11:44 pm
Key questions answered in this report: Credence Research is providing Free Sample Get it here: https://www.credenceresearch.com/sample-request/60060 The global market for meniscus repair systems is ...
- Houston Texans Dylan Cole Suffers Torn ACL Which Will End His Seasonon November 22, 2019 at 12:25 pm
His rookie season he had a hamstring injury, last season he suffered a dislocated wrist that needed surgery and this season with the ACL. Cole led the Texans in special teams tackles with eight and ...
- A hat trick she never wanted: 3 ACL tearson November 22, 2019 at 12:11 pm
Duran has had three surgeries to repair torn ACLs, two in her right knee and one in her left ... The past few years have been no laughing matter. After suffering her first ACL tear as a junior in high ...
via Bing News