Anterolateral Ligament Reconstruction
Will you need surgery following an anterolateral ligament tear? If so, what’s involved? Alex Dodds, knee specialist for The Cotswolds, Cheltenham & Gloucester, explains.
Do ligament tears always require surgery?
In general, no, not all ligament tears require surgery. That’s especially the case for relatively minor partial ruptures.
In the case of the anterolateral ligament, however, almost all tears will occur at the same time as an ACL injury. Since ACL tears often require surgery, an ALL rupture will too.
What does ALL reconstruction surgery involve?
Arrange treatment at my Gloucestershire knee surgery and any ALL tear will be diagnosed at the same time as your ACL tear. If I am carrying out reconstruction surgery on the ACL, I’ll take a similar approach to the ALL and reconstruct both at the same time using a procedure known as a lateral extra articular tenodesis (LET).
LET is a procedure I have performed for many years. Its development sprung from research I carried out as part my MD (Res) at London Imperial College. In combination with ACL reconstruction, the LET prevents excessive rotational movements and ensures greater joint stability. It’s a technique that has been quite widely adopted by many knee surgeons across the UK.
Occasionally, I will meet knee surgery patients in Cheltenham and Gloucester who come to me because the ACL reconstruction carried out elsewhere has not been completely successful. One reason for this may be that the ALL has been missed. If this is the case, I will conduct a short secondary procedure to correct the issue.
How long will my recovery from an ALL tear take?
The dominant ligament in most ALL reconstructions is the ACL, and it is the ACL that will typically dictate recovery time. Find out more about ACL surgery recovery times.
More than two thirds of reconstructed ALLs show a high rate of healing at the one-year follow up1.
Knee surgery in Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Cotswolds
If you suspect you may have damaged your knee ligaments, book your appointment with Alex Dodds, knee consultant for Gloucestershire, now.
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Appointments
To make an appointment please either fill in the contact form and you will be called back by our secretary to arrange a convenient appointment time or get in touch directly.
Call Chrissie Holmyard 01242 246549 at Nuffield Health, Cheltenham.
