Younger Athletes and ACL Reconstruction: What Doctors Need to Know

When young athletes get injured, doctors have to be extra careful. One of the major injuries they deal with is a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). This is especially true for kids who are still growing. Research shows that these young athletes are more likely to have surgery failures if certain factors are involved. Doctors avoid using certain types of grafts, like bone-tendon-bone, because they can mess with the growth plates. Instead, they often use quadriceps tendon autografts for these kids. The way these young athletes rehab is also important. Doctors need to make sure they're fully healed and ready before they go back to playing sports. Some things that can't be changed, like how loose their joints are or how much their bones are shaped a certain way, can also affect the success of the surgery. When all these things are considered, being open and honest with athletes and their families about the risks is crucial. Sometimes, extra procedures might be needed to ensure the best possible outcome.