Each year, over 250,000 individuals in the United States will suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, according to the Center for Disease Control. For competitive or recreational athletes, this can be a debilitating injury that takes many months to heal from.

In addition to facing a long healing process, athletes may also be concerned with the risk of a re-tear or other re-injury of the same ACL. UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor and Section Chief of Sports Medicine Amit Momaya, M.D., seeks to reduce this risk for athletes.

To repair the ACL after a tear, Momaya performs ACL reconstruction for patients who are good candidates for the procedure. In addition to the ACL reconstruction, he often performs a lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) procedure, which works by providing greater stability to the knee from rotational forces and takes stress off the ACL graft.

“The majority of sports medicine surgeons in Alabama do not have significant experience with the LET procedure, and the UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as well as UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine is proud to offer this option for good candidates,” said Momaya. “My team and I started performing the procedure for athletes about three years ago and have seen terrific results.”

Momaya notes that good candidates for the additional lateral extra-articular tenodesis procedure may include revision ACL patients, high-risk female patients– such as soccer and basketball athletes– and high level professional athletes whose careers cannot afford further time off due to a re-tear.