The anterior cruciate ligament runs through the centre of the knee and stops the shin bone sliding forward and twisting. A torn ACL does not heal, so surgery replaces it with a graft, usually a tendon taken from your own leg.
Reconstruction restores stability for pivoting sports and protects the menisci from further tears. It does not make the knee as it was before injury, and it does not remove the raised long term risk of arthritis.
What Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery involves
The operation is done by arthroscopy. The surgeon first confirms the tear and treats any meniscus or cartilage damage. A graft is harvested through a short cut: two hamstring tendons from the inner thigh, the middle third of the patellar tendon with a bone plug at each end, or a strip of quadriceps tendon. The remains of the old ligament are cleared. Tunnels are drilled in the thigh bone and shin bone at the ligament's original attachment points, the graft is pulled through and fixed with a button on the femur and a screw in the tibia, then tensioned with the knee nearly straight. Wounds are closed and a compression bandage and sometimes a brace are applied.
Who is a good candidate for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery?
Not every ACL tear needs surgery. It is advised when the knee gives way or your sport or job demands twisting and cutting.
- Active people who want to return to football, basketball, skiing or similar sports
- Knees that give way in daily life despite a full course of physiotherapy
- ACL tears combined with a repairable meniscus tear
- Young patients, in whom an unstable knee tends to collect further damage
It is usually not the right choice if:
- People with a low demand lifestyle and a knee that feels stable
- A stiff, swollen knee soon after injury; surgery waits until motion returns
- Advanced arthritis in the same knee
- Anyone unable to commit to 9 months of rehabilitation
الخيارات التقنية
- Hamstring graft: Small scar and less pain at the front of the knee; slight loss of hamstring strength.
- Patellar tendon graft: Bone to bone healing, favoured for some high level athletes; more kneeling pain.
- Quadriceps tendon graft: A thick graft increasingly used, also for revisions.
- Donor tissue (allograft): Avoids a harvest site; higher failure rate in young athletes, so mostly for older patients or multi ligament surgery.
- Lateral extra-articular tenodesis: An added outer knee procedure to control rotation in high risk or revision cases.
ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك
Surgery takes 60 to 90 minutes under general or spinal anaesthetic with a nerve block. You stay one night. Expect a swollen, bandaged knee and two crutches. Physiotherapy starts the next day with straightening exercises and thigh muscle activation.
الإعداد لرحلتك
Plan for 7 to 10 days in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.
- Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
- Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
- Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
- Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly
التعافي والنتائج
Crutches are used for 2 to 3 weeks, longer if the meniscus was stitched. Full straightening is the first goal. Cycling starts at about 4 to 6 weeks, straight line jogging at 3 to 4 months, and return to pivoting sport at 9 to 12 months after passing strength and hop tests. Going back earlier clearly raises the chance of re-rupture.
- Back to everyday activity: 2 to 4 weeks for desk work
- When results show: Stable knee by 3 months
- How long they last: Most grafts last for decades if rehabilitation is completed
سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح
Most people do well, yet around 1 in 10 young athletes tear the graft or the other knee within some years.
- Graft re-rupture or stretching
- Stiffness and loss of full extension, sometimes from scar tissue (cyclops lesion)
- Numb patch beside the shin scar
- Pain when kneeling, mainly with patellar tendon grafts
- Infection in the joint, uncommon but serious
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Later osteoarthritis despite a stable knee
Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.
Cost of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- Graft choice and fixation implants
- Additional meniscus repair or extra-articular procedure
- Revision surgery, which is longer and may need two stages
- Brace and supervised physiotherapy sessions during your stay
Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
الأسئلة المتكررة
How soon after injury should it be done?
Usually after 3 to 6 weeks, once swelling has settled and the knee bends and straightens well. Operating on a stiff knee increases the risk of permanent stiffness.
Who supervises my rehabilitation after I go home?
A local physiotherapist. The programme runs for 9 months or more, so arrange this before you travel and take the written protocol with you.
Can a torn ACL be stitched instead of replaced?
Only in a small group of tears pulled off the femur and treated early. For most tears, repair has a higher failure rate than reconstruction.