Patient Information Resources


Alpine Physical Therapy
Three Locations
In North, South, and Downtown Missoula
Missoula, MT 59804
Ph: 406-251-2323
Fax: 406-251-2999
Info@AlpinePTmissoula.com






Ankle
Child Orthopedics
Elbow
Foot
General
Hand
Hip
Knee
Pain Management
Shoulder
Spine - Cervical
Spine - General
Spine - Lumbar
Spine - Thoracic
Wrist

« Back

Unwinding the Facts about Twisting or Braiding ACL Tendon Grafts

Posted on: 11/30/1999
Surgeons generally use tendon grafts to reconstruct a damaged anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. The tendon graft is usually taken from tissues near the patient's own knee. In this study, the grafts were taken from the hamstring muscle along the inside of the knee. The "new" ACL is never as strong as the original one. ACL grafts sometimes tear or become loose and weak. Surgeons are always looking for ways to make the tendon grafts stronger.

Some doctors feel that strength could be increased by twisting or braiding the graft tendons before stitching them in. Not many studies have been done on this. Past studies usually involved animal tendons. This study used cadavers (human bodies preserved for research) to test tendon grafts. The authors put twisted tendon grafts in the knees of one group of cadavers. A second group got braided tendon grafts. A third group got the usual tendon grafts.

The authors then used a special machine to test the strength and stiffness of the grafts. The usual tendon grafts were the strongest and stiffest. Twisting the tendon grafts decreased strength by 26 percent and stiffness by 43 percent.

More study is needed before doctors will know for sure if braiding and twisting tendon grafts is bad in all cases. However, these authors worked hard to make the tests realistic. This means that the loads put on the cadaver knees were much like the loads put on real knees after ACL surgery. This study makes a strong case against twisting or braiding the hamstring tendon to reconstruct a damaged ACL.

References:
David H. Kim, MD, et al. Twisting and Braiding Reduces the Tensile Strength and Stiffness of Human Hamstring Tendon Grafts Used for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. In The American Journal of Sports Medicine. November/December 2003. Vol. 31. No. 6. Pp. 861-867.

« Back





*Disclaimer:*The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.


All content provided by eORTHOPOD® is a registered trademark of Mosaic Medical Group, L.L.C.. Content is the sole property of Mosaic Medical Group, LLC and used herein by permission.