Torn ACL ligament is a serious knee injury that affects numerous people, especially those who play sports. In medical science, there is an effective way to deal with this issue which is ACL surgery.
In this procedure, the surgeon replaces the damaged ligament with a new ACL graft. ACL surgery procedure is generally safe.
However, according to a good orthopedic doctor in Patna, it also comes with some complications. knee instability is one such complication that can be a frustrating setback.
This is because it stops a patient from returning to their regular lifestyle. That’s why Dr. Ramaknat Kumar who is an Orthopedic Surgery specialist in Patna always advises their ACL surgery patients to be aware of the causes of knee instability complications as it helps in it’s prevention.
So in this blog, we will provide you with some common causes of knee instability after ACL surgery.
Contents
Causes of Knee Instability After ACL Surgery
Knee instability is one of the bad signs after ACL surgery, which may make the patient’s life worse than ever.
However, there is a possibility to avoid it if the patients and the healthcare professional both are aware of its causes:
#1. Graft Failure
Graft failure is one of the common reasons behind knee instability post-ACL reconstruction. A graft is a replacement tissue that is made with a portion of the patient’s body parts.
The surgeon uses it to make the new ACl to perform the surgery. However, some grafts fail because of numerous reasons which results in knee stability.
The failure mainly happens because it affects the structural integrity of the knee.
Improper graft placement, immune response, and opting for high-level activities too early are some of the causes of graft failure, which leads to knee stability.
Additionally, one should also be aware of the loose ACL graft symptoms as it may result in knee stability too.
#2. Muscle Weakness
In the opinion of the best doctor in Patna for orthopedic people who follow an active lifestyle before the surgery tend to recover faster.
The reason behind this is the strong muscles. The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is a key stabilizing structure in the knee joint.
So, in the absence of this ligament, the shrouding muscles especially the quadriceps and smiting, have to support the knee stability. But if those muscles are weak then knee instability is inhibitable.
Additionally, health experts also say that surrounding muscles also get weak after the surgery. It is because of the disuse or surgical trauma, which results in knee instability.
#3. Re-Injury
Is your knee popping out of place after ACL surgery? Well, it is one the the signs of knee instability caused by re-injury.
This happens because most people are unaware that despite the surgery or rehabilitation the knee remains vulnerable to injuries.
According to a study patients who play level 1 sports after the surgery have 4 times higher chances of knee reinjury than people who don’t.
This is why famous ACL surgeons advise their clients to stay away from certain activities for a lifetime.
However, if you are desperate to return to your sport then give your body a proper time to heal and also opt for injury prevention strategies.
#4. Meniscal Damage
While understanding the ACL surgery details we get to know that it may also involve meniscal repair. It is c cartilage that lies between the knee bones and works as a shock absorber.
When the ACL injury occurs then sometimes it also affects the menisci due to the extra force that comes with the injury.
To repair this, surgeons sometimes remove the damaged meniscus part while replacing the damaged ACL.
It’s good practice to improve knee joint health but sometimes it reduces the shock-absorbing capability of this cartilage, which eventually leads to knee instability. Not only that it may also increase the pain or result in osteoarthritis.
#5. Arthritis
According to the best ACL surgeon in Patna and some scientific studies, ACL surgery can lead to arthritis. This degenerative disease is one of the causes of knee instability after ACL surgery.
What happens is, when a person goes through ACL surgery it alters the loading of their patellofemoral (PF) joint.
This leads to changes in the cartilage of that joint which increases the risk of getting degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis.
The degeneration of the cartilage will reduce its shock-absorbing capability and will lead to knee instability.
Additionally, according to the discussion on knee instability after ACL surgery on Reddit, arthritis changes the biomechanics of the knee joint which gives rise to issues like knee instability.
#6. Poor Surgical Technique
ACL surgery is a very technical and complex procedure which increases the chances of mistakes.
This is why people who don’t choose the best ACL surgeon in Patna for their surgery tend to experience ACL instability symptoms.
When your surgeon makes even the slightest mistake during graft replacement, tensioning process, fixation methods, addressing the injuries, or many more then it leads to complications like knee instability.
According to top orthopedic surgeons, Patna femoral tunnel malposition is one the most frequent causes of ACL failure and instability.
So, these were some causes of knee instability after ACL surgery. If you are thinking of going through this surgery then talk to your doctor about the causes and always keep the 6th cause in mind.
Choosing an ineffective surgeon will lead to poor surgical technique eventually leading to complications like knee instability.
Furthermore, if your surgery is done and you are having doubts about your knee instability then you can go for an ACL instability test to be sure.
Is Knee Instability Post ACL Reconstruction Normal?
ACL surgery is one of the best ways to deal with ACL tear. But, according to health professionals, it also comes with some complications.
For example, some patients experience, bleeding, swelling, instability, pain, and knee buckling after ACL surgery.
Among all the complications knee instability is one of the most frustrating ones.
However, you can avoid it by making sure that you and your surgeon are aware of the common causes of knee instability after ACL surgery. To help you with it we have mentioned 6 causes in this blog.
While reading those causes you will get to know that poor surgical technique is one reason that depends on your choice of orthopedic surgeon.
Always try to choose a surgeon who has years of experience in performing ACL surgery. In Patna Dr Ramakant Kumar is one such surgeon who has more than 10 years of experience in providing effective and 100% successful ACL surgery.
Till now he has helped more than 36,000 patients and has performed more than 10,000 surgeries. Regional folks also love to visit him because of his reasonable prices.
If you are also interested then contact this committed surgeon ASAP. He is mainly overbooked due to his popularity in the town, so hurry!