Statistics on ACL Reconstructions

Pre-Op Statistics
*Runners who rupture an ACL (this usually happens when they participate in another sport; ACL break-ups during running are very uncommon) will sometimes - after the knee swelling and pain diminishes - go on to run for several years without realising that a key knee ligament is missing. Eventually, though, problems usually arise, especially in higher-mileage runners, because the loss of the ACL leads to a lack of stability in the knee, which increases the risk of damage to the menisci and (ultimately) arthritis.

*After an ACL tear, doctors sometimes tell patients to 'test their knee out' for a period of time while they're considering the possibility of surgery. While this can help the person who exercises fairly lightly decide whether to have surgery, the strategy can also place the patient at risk of further damaging the menisci inside the knee, or eroding the cartilage caps at the ends of the femur and tibia - the two important bones which form a junction at the knee. An important point to remember is that if your sports activity produces pain, you shouldn't blithely continue exercising. Stopping a painful workout is disappointing in the short run but far better for your health over the long term
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0281.htm



Post_Op Statistics

*Statistics also show that female athletes have a 25% chance of tearing their ACL a second time after having the reconstruction surgery done.

*Individuals who sustain a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are at an increased risk for developing early-onset knee osteoarthritis (OA).
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The following study presents the first data with 2 year follow-up from the Danish ACL registryAll orthopaedic departments performing ACL reconstructions in Denmark, inlcuding private clinics, report to the registry. .

*Established in 2005:
During the first 30 months, 5,872 knee-ligament reconstructions were registered.
A total of 4,972 were primary ACL reconstructions, 443 were ACL revisions and 457 multiligament reconstructions.

*A total of 85% of all knee ligament reconstruction were reported to the database. A total of 71% of primary ACL reconstruction used hamstring tendon grafts and 21% used patella tendon graft.
*Meniscus injuries were treated in 35% of all patients
*A total of 17% had significant cartilage lesions.


IN THE UNITED STATES IT IS DOCUMENTED:
*The average cost for surgical repair of an ACL tear is approximately $11,500. If all *ACL injuries were repaired, the associated expenditure for 100,000 procedures would eclipse $2 billion annually
*ACL injury rates are estimated to be 2-8 times higher in women than in men
*Not a single report of mortality was found in 6 different studies examining the morbidity and mortality of anterior cruciate ligament repair.

Race
No known correlation exists between race and occurrence of ACL injuries.

Sex
According to numerous studies, female athletes sustain a greater number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than do male athletes. These results are well supported in 2 different papers. The first paper, by Arendt and Dick, showed that female athletes sustained significantly higher incidences of ACL injuries than their male counterparts did when competing in collegiate soccer and basketball.1 The authors' data demonstrated that women have a 2.4 and a 4.1 times greater chance of incurring ACL injury when compared with males in soccer and basketball, respectively. A second paper, by Hutchinson and Ireland, reported that female athletes competing in the 1988 Olympic basketball trials sustained 81% of ACL injuries during the trials.2

Age
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries occur most commonly in individuals aged 14-29 years. These years correspond to a high degree of athletic activity


Up to 50% of patients with acute knee injuries who report feeling or hearing a snapping or popping sound are found to have an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/307161-overview
http://www.springerlink.com/content/r37w344rj74r0h16/ACL
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0281.htm