Leading techniques by Chicago orthopedic surgeon treating ACL repairs let young athletes return to sports at full strength

By Nick Rees

As children become better athletes at a much younger age, they face overuse injuries, leading to an increased ACL injury rate.

"Kids don't have seasons anymore, they play sports year round," explains Dr. Roger Chams, MD, who was selected by TopTierMD as one of Chicago’s top rated orthopaedic surgeon.  "The other reason we're seeing more ACL injuries is that young women have a six times higher rate of tears than men. We're seeing young women in high level sports at a much younger age now, too."

The reason for the higher level of ACL injuries in women, Dr. Chams said, is still somewhat controversial.

"The thought used to be that it was anatomic or hormonal, but the belief now is that it's the way their muscles are trained and the way they jump and land," Dr. Chams said. "There are a lot of programs now to teach women how to jump and land and it's certainly working. Post-surgically, we also teach them how to prevent future injuries."

Most ACL injuries are torsional injuries, which are injuries that come from twisting, and are common injuries related to soccer, basketball, volleyball and skiing.

To fix an ACL tear, Dr. Chams uses an arthroscopic process.

"Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery where we use small poke holes to fix injuries in the knee," Dr. Chams said. "We use a little telescope that goes through the hole and put tiny instruments through the poke holes.

"This method has supplanted open procedures and knee injuries can now be repaired through arthroscopic procedures, increasing recovery time. The other advantages of arthroscopic surgery are that it causes less bleeding, less scarring and less pain."

The success rates for an open surgery and arthroscopic surgery are nearly identical at 95 percent.

"To repair a torn ACL, we take a tendon, either from the patient or from a cadaver, and we replace the ACL with that tissue through the scope," Dr. Chams said. "Patients can generally go home the same day after an ACL repair and start physical therapy the net day for range of motion."

The tendon is inserted through a tunnel drilled through the bone and then fixated with screws.

"Over the last year or two, we've put the tunnels in a different direction, which recent studies show provides better fixation," Dr. Chams said. "In addition to the stronger fixation, the different direction makes the knee much more stable."

After surgery, the patient will be on crutches for two weeks and can usually go back to work or school after three days. It takes between four and six months before a patient can return to sports.

"The goal of the surgery is to allow the patient to go back to full sports at full speed with no loss of motion or strength," Dr. Chams said.

When asked about what has contributed to his success and leadership in the field, Chams responds, “I was fellowship-trained in sports medicine and received additional training from several doctors who are considered pioneers and leaders themselves in the field.  I not only attend all relevant national meetings, but I also train today many leading surgeons from around the country”.

Dr. Roger Chams, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Orthopaedic Surgery in Chicago. He specializes in arthroscopic ACL reconstruction, arthroscopic rotator cuff reconstruction and arthroscopic meniscus surgery.