ACL Tear, Repair & Revision

Knee Anatomy

Your knees are the most commonly injured joints in your body. Unlike your shoulder that moves in all directions, your knees appear only to bend and straighten, but actually their movements are much more complex and involve rotation, translation, sliding and rolling.

Ligaments

There are five main ligaments connecting the bones at the knee joint and provide stability when you walk, run and jump. They are the:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
• Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL)
• Posterolateral corner (PLC) ligaments including the lateral collateral ligament (LCL)
• Anterolateral ligament (ALL)

Cartilage and Meniscus

The joint surface of the knee is covered with a thin, but durable layer of cartilage over the ends of the femur, tibia, and patella and, along with the meniscus, allows the knee surfaces to articulate, move smoothly—almost frictionless and painlessly along each other. The cartilage lacks a blood supply and receives nutrition from the joint fluid. The meniscus has an unlimited blood supply. Without a blood supply and because of their relatively less active cellular makeup, the cartilage and meniscus do not maintain themselves. The cartilage and meniscus are extremely durable, but in time with “wear and tear” or following injury, they break down, fail, and lead to meniscus tears, cartilage damage, and eventually symptomatic (pain, stiffness, swelling) arthritis (failure of this protective joint surface).

Tendons and Muscles

Tendons also help provide knee joint stability and movement. They act like strong cables connecting your muscles to your bones. These muscle-tendon units cross joints to compress, hold and move joints in specific directions. Like other parts of your knee, they are susceptible to injury and overuse. The two knee tendons most commonly injured are the quadriceps and patellar tendons.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is the most well known of the knee ligaments because it is the one most often injured by athletes. When torn, the ACL does not heal and the knee can be unstable (shifts or gives way), especially during sports that require pivoting, changing direction (cutting), jumping, or landing. About one-half of the people who tear their ACL also tear their meniscus in their knee.

The ACL is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments in the human knee. The other is the Posterior Cruciate (PCL). The two ligaments also are called “cruciform” ligaments because they cross each other forming an “X”. The ACL is a ropelike structure composed of strong collagen fibrils that help maintain the normal relationship of the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (leg bone) as the knee moves.

ACL Injuries & Conditions

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries
• Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries
• Failed Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
• Tibial spine avulsion
• Meniscus Tears
• Cartilage Tears

ACL & Associated Meniscus Surgical Procedures

• Arthroscopic Anatomic ACL Reconstruction
• Arthroscopic Pediatric (Growth Plate Sparing) ACL Reconstruction (Developed by Dr. Chudik)
• Tibial Spine Avulsion Surgery for Pediatric Patients
• Anterolateral Ligament (ALL) Reconstruction
• Tunnelless Anatomic Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructive Surgery
• Tunnelless Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Reconstruction
• Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) Tunnelless Reconstruction
• Arthroscopic Meniscus Repair
• Arthroscopic Meniscus Transplant
• Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy
• Arthroscopic Meniscus Repair vs. Meniscectomy

About Dr. Chudik

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Video
• Website: stevenchudikmd.com
• Schedule an appointment online
• Email: contactus@chudikmd.com
• Phone: 630-324-0402

Innovations

Through his research, Dr. Chudik investigates and pioneers advanced and novel arthroscopic procedures, instruments and implants that change patients’ lives because of better outcomes. His efforts continue to yield scores of patents that will positively affect orthopaedic surgical techniques worldwide.

Novel Procedures

• Arthroscopic Pediatric (Growth Plate Sparing) ACL Reconstruction (Developed by Dr. Chudik)
• Arthroscopic ACL revision reconstruction, single stage
• Tunnelless Anatomic Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructive Surgery
• Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) tunnelless reconstruction
• Tunnelless Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) reconstruction
• Return to sport training program
• Return to sport testing

US Patents and Patent Applications

Dr. Steven Chudik continually innovates to create new technology surgical techniques and improve patient care. He also collaborates worldwide with other leaders in the orthopaedic technology industry. Surgeries provide Dr. Chudik with an endless source of ideas to create new, safer, less invasive, and more effective surgical procedures, surgical instruments, and implants. Several of his patents are the direct result of these pioneering endeavors.

• Method of Minimally Invasive Shoulder Replacement Surgery, U.S. Patent No. 9,445,910, filed September 11, 2006
• Humeral Implant for Minimally Invasive Shoulder Replacement Surgery. Patent application serial number 11/529,185 case II, filed September 25, 2006
• Glenoid Implant for Minimally Invasive Shoulder Replacement Surgery, U.S. Patent No. 9,974,658, filed September 25, 2006
• Humeral Implant for Minimally Invasive Shoulder Replacement Surgery, Serial No.11/525,629, filed September 25, 2006, application published as U.S. Patent App. Pub. 2007/0016305 (A)
• Guide for Shoulder Surgery, U.S. Patent No. 9,968,459, filed September 29, 2006
• Suture Pin Device. Patent application serial number 11/529,2006, case XV, filed September 29, 2006
• Suture Pin Device, Serial No. 11/529,185, filed September 29, 2006, application published as U.S. Patent App. Pub. 2007/0027477 (A)
• Method of Arthroscopic or Open Rotator Cuff Repair Using An Insertional Guide For Delivering a Suture Pin, U.S. Patent No. 8,540,737, filed October 24, 2006
• Acromioclavicular Joint Repair System, U.S. Patent No. 9,387,011, filed February 2, 2007
• Resurfacing Implant for a Humeral Head, Serial No. 13/068,309, filed May 9, 2011, application published as U.S. Patent App. Pub. 2012/0041563 (A)
• Universal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair and Reconstruction System(Cannulated Scalpel), U.S. Patent No. 10,034,674, filed February 2, 2007
• Resurfacing Implant for a Humeral Head. Patent application serial number 13/068,309 case II (A), filed May 9, 2011
• Method of Arthroscopic or Open Rotator Cuff Repair Using an Insertional Guide for Delivering a Suture Pin. U.S. Patent Number 8,540,737 B2, issued September 24, 2013
• Cortical Loop Fixation System for Ligament and Tendon Reconstruction, Serial No. 13/998,567, filed November 12, 2013, application published as U.S. Patent App. Pub. 2015/0134060 (A)
• Acromioclavicular Joint Repair System. U.S. Patent Number 9,387,011 B2, issued July 12, 2016
• Method of Minimally Invasive Shoulder Replacement Surgery. U.S. Patent Number 9,445,910 B2, issued September 20, 2016
• Guide for Shoulder Surgery. U.S. Patent Number 9,968,459 B2, issued May 15, 2018
• Glenoid Implant for Minimally Invasive Shoulder Replacement Surgery. U.S. Patent Number 9,974,658 B2, issued May 22, 2018
• Glenoid Implant with Replaceable Articulating Portion, U.S. Patent No. 11,406,505, filed August 20, 2019, issued August 9, 2022
• Cortical Loop Fixation Method for Ligament and Bone Reconstruction, Serial No. 15/731,719, filed July 24, 2017, application published as U.S. Patent App. Pub. 2019/0021845 (Pending)
• Humeral Implant and Method, Serial No. 17/532,714, filed November 22, 2021 (Pending), published as U.S. Patent App. Pub. US 2023/0157832
• Humeral Implant with Cannulation and Method, Serial No. 18/211,396, filed June 19, 2023 (Pending)
• Glenoid implant with Portal and Method, filed July 2023 (Pending)

Research

An inquisitive nature was the impetus for Dr. Steven Chudik’s career as a fellowship-trained and board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, sports medicine physician, and arthroscopic pioneer for treating ACL injuries. It also led him to design and patent special arthroscopic surgical procedures and instruments and create the Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Teaching and Research Foundation (OTRF). Through OTRF, Dr. Chudik conducts unbiased orthopaedic research, provides up-to-date medical information to help prevent sports injuries, and shares his expertise and passion for mentoring medical students in an honors research program. He also serves as a consultant and advisor for other orthopaedic companies and industry.

Areas of Knee Research & Development

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament
• Cartilage and Joint Surface Injuries
  
• Multiple Knee Ligament Injuries