ACL Reconstruction at Oaks Hospital

What is ACL?

We’ve all heard about it, but what is ACL? Your ACL is your anterior cruciate ligament, a band of fibrous tissue that joins your thigh and shin bones together at your knee joint. It helps to stabilise your knee when you perform front to back and pivoting or twisting movement.

Here at Ramsay we understand the pain and anxiety that an ACL knee injury can cause and, the importance of early surgery to prevent further damage and to get you back to enjoying your daily activities and sporting pursuits as soon as possible.

We endeavour to offer our patients rapid appointments with an expert orthopaedic knee surgeon. Our hospitals are fully equipped with modern facilities to perform ACL reconstruction and onsite support services such as physiotherapy and imaging.

ACL knee injuries can happen whilst taking part in sports such as skiing, tennis, squash, football and rugby. They are a common types of knee injury where your ACL ligament is torn or ‘ruptured’.

An ACL rupture may stop you from doing your normal activities or sports as your knee loses its full range of motion, becomes unstable and painful. Your knee may give way or it may feel like it is giving way. ACL repair surgery, known as ACL reconstruction, may then be recommended to rebuild your torn ligament.

The benefits of successful reconstruction ACL surgery are that your knee should be stabilised and therefore not give way anymore. ACL keyhole surgery aims to relieve your pain and allow you to be more active and return to playing some or all of your sports such as football, rugby, netball or skiing. It also reduces your risk of further knee injury.

ACL reconstruction surgery is a usually performed as a keyhole procedure so that it is less invasive than if it were performed using open surgery. This means patients benefit from less pain, minimised risk of infection and, a faster recovery.

Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction is carried out under general anaesthetic or a spinal anaesthetic and typically takes about an hour.

Your surgeon will then make small cuts in the skin over your knee and insert a thin, flexible tube with a light and camera on the end of it, known as an arthroscope, to see inside your knee.

The remnants of your torn ACL are removed and replaced using a graft usually taken from taken from your patellar tendon or hamstring. Sometimes a graft from a donor will be used.

The replacement ligament graft is fixed into place with special screws drilled into holes in your bones.

ACL reconstruction is a surgical operation and therefore carries the general risks of surgery including: excessive bleeding, wound infection, developing a blood clot or, an unexpected reaction to the anaesthetic.

Complications specific to ACL reconstruction surgery include:

Graft failure when the graft tears.
Kneecap break.
Nerve damage.
Knee joint infection.
Numbness.
Knee joint remains unstable.
Stiffness or less movement than you had before your injury.

If you decide to pay for your treatment, Ramsay offer an all-inclusive Total Care package, where a single one-off payment at a pre-agreed price, delivering direct access to all the treatment you need for complete reassurance. You can also spread the cost of your treatment with finance options available.

An ACL Reconstruction may be covered by your medical insurance policy. We advise you to check directly with your insurance provider and get written confirmation before commencing treatment.

You may be able to go home the same day as your surgery or it may be recommended for you to stay overnight following your ACL reconstruction treatment.

One of our experienced physiotherapists will give you guidance on exercises and a rehabilitation programme to help you recover as quickly as possible.

You will need to follow your knee surgeon’s advice regarding driving and going back to work as everyone’s recovery rate is different.

An ACL reconstruction recovery typically takes approximately 6 months but it can take up to a year. Most people return to their sporting activities six months after their operation.

Oaks Hospital Specialists

Mr Mahbub Alam

Mr Mahbub Alam is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with a clinical interest in knee surgery and sport injuries
Read more
Mr Osama Aweid

Mr Osama Aweid is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Colchester, Essex, who specialises in Knee Surgery
Read more
Mr Mark Loeffler

Mr Mark Loeffler is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in hip and knee arthroplasty and soft tissue and arthroscopic knee surgery at Oaks Hospital, Colchester, Essex
Read more
Mr Edward Massa

Mr Edward Massa is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Essex, specialising in hip and knee pathologies.
Read more
Mr Tim Parratt

Mr Tim Parratt is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Colchester who specialises in hip and knee surgery
Read more
Mr Manav Raghuvanshi

Mr Manav Raghuvanshi is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Essex specialising in hip and knee replacements
Read more
Mr Sivakolundu Suresh

Mr Sivakolundu Suresh is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Essex, who specialises in Hip and Knee Surgery
Read more
Mr Nicholas Wardle

Mr Nicholas Wardle is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Essex, Oaks Hospital specialising in hip and knee arthroplasty, hip arthroscopy and periprosthetic hip fractures.
Read more

Related Treatments

Knee Replacement

Knee replacement is knee surgery to repair worn arthritic knee joints or knee injuries using an artificial knee joint to help reduce pain and restore movement in your knee.

Find out more

Day Case Joint Surgery

Ramsay day-case surgery includes minimally invasive joint replacement procedures that allow you to return home the same day and are performed to help relieve your joint pain and enable you to live a fuller and more active life. Expert Ramsay healthcare teams will fully support you before, during and after your day case joint surgery and throughout your rehabilitation.

Find out more

Partial Knee Replacement

A partial knee replacement, also known as unicompartmental knee replacement, is surgery that replaces only one damaged compartment in your knee with implants.

Find out more

Latest from Oaks Hospital

Oaks Introduces Robotic Assisted Surgery, CORI®

Oaks Hospital introduces a new state-of-the-art robotic assisted knee replacement surgery, CORI®. This innovative technology enhances surgical precision, leading to improved patient outcomes and faster recovery times.

Find out more

Will Quince MP visits Oaks Hospital to see high quality healthcare in action

Will Quince, Conservative MP for Colchester and former Minister of State for Health recently visited Oaks Hospital in Colchester to see how Ramsay Health Care UK is delivering high quality healthcare for local patients.

Find out more

SACT Suite

On Tuesday 30th August Oaks Hospital hosted the official opening of its brand new SACT (Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy) unit, which offers oncology services to patients for a range of specialty areas including skin, gynaecology, urology and breast cancers in the local area.

Find out more

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material, contained on this website is for educational purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.

No warranty or guarantee is made that the information contained on this website is complete or accurate in every respect. The testimonials, statements, and opinions presented on our website are applicable to the individuals depicted. Results will vary and may not be representative of the experience of others. Prior patient results are only provided as examples of what may be achievable. Individual results will vary and no guarantee is stated or implied by any photo use or any statement on this website.

Ramsay is a trusted provider of plastic or reconstructive surgery treatments as a part of our wrap-around holistic patient care. Our personal, friendly and professional team are here to support you throughout to ensure the best possible care. All procedures we perform are clinically justified, and we do not offer treatments that are purely aesthetic / to change your appearance.

Ramsay Health Care UK is not currently recruiting for any roles based outside of England. If you are interested in applying for a role with Ramsay Health Care UK, please note that all available positions are advertised exclusively on our official website: https://www.ramsayhealth.co.uk/careers. Be cautious of individuals or organisations that approach you directly for remotely-based roles. Always verify the authenticity of the job offer and be careful with whom you share your personal information. For more information and advice on employment fraud, please visit: https://www.ramsayhealth.co.uk/careers/recruitment-fraud

Specialties

Treatments

Tests & Scans

Your Care

Clinical Information

Funding Treatment

ACL Reconstruction