Doctor: Recovery From ACL Surgery Usually Takes At Least 9 Months
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's going to be a long recovery for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during Sunday's win against the Los Angeles Rams.
While the Eagles have not revealed any details on what happens next with Wentz, doctors say the standard treatment is surgery.
The ACL is one of four ligaments that stabilizes the knee.
"They basically allow the knee to pivot," said Dr. B.J. Smith, a sports medicine specialist at Main Line Health.
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The knee joint normally hinges back and forth as you flex and extend the knee and the ACL helps prevent it from pivoting or rotating on top.
Smith, who isn't involved with Wentz, reacted like most fans when he heard the star quarterback has a torn ACL.
"My heart sank a little bit inside," said Smith.
He says torn ACLs are dreaded in sports because the recovery takes a long time.
"When the ligament tears it blows apart, so you can't just sew it back together, you basically reconstruct the entire ligament using part of the patient's own tendon from elsewhere," explained Smith.
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During a relatively quick and routine surgery, the new ligament graft is attached to the upper and lower leg bones. Recovery usually takes at least nine months.
"You have to wait for to get motion back, strength back in the knee and there's also time for graph maturity to allow for the graft to set in place," said Smith.
The other thing Eagles fans are wondering about is how was Wentz able to keep playing briefly after the injury.
"Football players are thought to be very tough, they're no stranger to pain," said Smith. "I'm sure he didn't think that much of it. I'm sure he insisted on playing through it, tried to and then, I think, he having persistent pain or some instability or laxity of the knee, and that's probably what prompted them to pull him out."
Smith says ACL surgery usually takes place two to four weeks after the injury. It's important for the patient to have good knee mobility before the operation.
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While it's probably not that painful now, it will be right after the surgery.
There is no information yet on when or where that will happen.
