Ligaments are bands of tough, fibrous connective tissue that are responsible for connecting bones, cartilage and joints together.
Although they are inherently strong structures, they are susceptible to tearing from sports injuries and sudden force. On this page, we have outlined three of the most common ligament tears we see at the Orthohealing Center – along with the regenerative approaches we use to repair them.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
The anterior cruciate ligament is a major ligament that works to stabilize the knee joint. Tearing of this critical structure typically occurs during sports that involve aggressive changes in direction, jumping and sudden stops – such as football, tennis, basketball, skiing and gymnastics.
When you sustain an ACL tear, you may experience:
- A loud “pop”
- Severe pain
- An inability to move
- sJoint instability
As one of the top facilities for ACL repair Los Angeles has to offer, all but the most severe cases are frequently healed non-surgically by our specialists with our innovative regenerative therapies combined with physical therapy & home exercises. PRP knee injections, bone marrow stem cell therapy and hyaluronic acid injections all allow our Los Angeles patients to avoid the lengthy downtime and arthritic pain associated with ACL surgery and rehabilitation, so they can recover and return to their sport much more quickly.
Ankle ligament tears
When an ankle ligament stretches, tears or completely ruptures, it’s called an ankle sprain. Depending on the severity of your injury, these tears may cause minor pain and difficulty walking, or severe tenderness, joint instability and a total inability to move.
Most ankle sprains heal on their own eventually, but in the meantime, you have to stay off your feet and away from your sport. Often when ligaments heal, it’s not 100%, and they often get progressively lax or stretched causing further sprains and tearing. That’s not ideal for most of the Beverly Hills athletes we treat at the Orthohealing Center, which is why we have a better approach. Our innovative regenerative therapies, such as PRP injections, bone marrow stem cell therapy and prolotherapy, can often expedite the healing process, restore stability to the ankle joint, relieve pain and get you back on your feet more quickly.
Achilles tendon tear
Reaching from the bones in your heel all the way to your calf muscles, the Achilles tendon is what enables you to extend your foot and point your toes. Tears affecting this critical structure tend to develop in runners, dancers, gymnasts, tennis players, and athletes who participate in football, baseball and basketball. When you sustain this type of tear, you may experience a number of uncomfortable symptoms, including:
- Pain above your heel
- An inability to point your toes
In the past, the only way to treat an Achilles tendon tear was with a custom brace, surgical repair and/or physical therapy for about six months. Fortunately, there’s a much better and faster treatment approach today.
At the Orthohealing Center, we administer stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma injections to encourage your body to heal the torn tendon from the inside out. In this way, we’re able to repair the area without surgery so you can return to your former level of activity as efficiently as possible. In cases of complete rupture, surgery is the only option; however, PRP or Bone Marrow Stem Cells may be applied by our team of physicians in the operating room and soaked into the graft to encourage more rapid and complete healing.