Cutting-edge ACL surgery reducing reinjury risk by 80%

Known for its game-changing orthopedic repair options, Naples-based Arthrex has done it again. This time, they are teaming up on a procedure with HSS, the Hospital for Special Surgery, which is just now getting up and running in Naples.

A new technique is helping a promising young athlete, one who’s already overcome a lot.

At 17 years old, Sonia Kiritsa is a model of determination. A refugee from Ukraine, she fled to the United States following the Russian invasion.

She hit the ground running here as a star point guard in high school.

“I’m spending like 3, 4, 5 hours a day on a basketball court, and every time I try to get some shots, 100 to 200, so I feel very confident in practice, and I think it makes me feel great on the court,” Kiritsa said.

However, during the first game of the season, something just snapped.

“I ran on the fast break, and I slipped, and my knee went inside, so I fell,” Kiritsa said.

The result was a torn ACL, the ligament that stabilizes the knee. Kiritsa had surgery using donor tissue from her quadricep to reconstruct the ACL. The operation was layered using a cutting-edge technique.

Especially for athletes who put their bodies to the test, there’s always concern about reinjuring the ACL, but thanks to Arthrex, a new procedure may reduce that risk by up to 80%.

Dr. Pat Smith, an orthopedic surgeon at NCH, said, “Taking care of athletes, we would see these high numbers of re-injuries or re-tears, and that is not good because a second surgery for ACL reconstruction, what we call revision surgery, never does as well as a successful primary or first-time ACL surgery.”

Smith is the director of research at HSS. With years of experience in ACL surgery, he used the Arthrex internal brace on Kiritsa.

“We call it the seat belt for the ACL. We’ve seen less re-tears, which is huge for our patients to get back to sport more confidently,” Smith said.

We asked him to show us how it works.

“It’s basically a strong suture that we deliberately put in just a bit loose to protect the ACL,” Smith said.

The strands provide a safety net to support the tendon when it’s most vulnerable, which is critical during early-stage healing.

“This idea of augmenting or protecting it is something that makes a lot of sense,” Smith said.

A month out from surgery, Kiritsa is sitting on the bench. Her practice now is rehab.

“I’m spending a lot of energy on this to be back on the court,” Kiritsa said.

“She tackles this rehab just like she tackles basketball, so she’s a hard-working individual, and she’s going to do very well with this,” Smith said.

Given her determination, Kiritsa is playing the long game, which is someday joining the WNBA.

This internal brace doesn’t shorten healing time. It’s still six to nine months.

Smith has extensive research and experience with this technique. Following similar patients, he’s never had a re-injury.