Pros And Cons Of Patella Tendon

The patellar tendon fibers are secured and are stable enough to begin motion and weight bearing activities. The ends of the graft are bone to bone and can heal in around 6 to 8 weeks, which appears to be quicker than the healing process for soft tissue to bone.

The pros of having a patella bone graft is that the 1/3 of the tendon when remove is consider to be a lot stronger than the hamstring or LARS graft. Also the patella tendon resembles the best size and length of the actual torn ACL. The patella tendon too is also very easy for the surgeons to go in and get to as compared to the hamstring muscle. Also with the patella tendon it is connected to bone and therefore has a very easy bone-to-bone healing as mentioned before. Also because the

Short-term outcomes of having patella bone graft are being able to return to sport faster, increases in a healing ability, and a better range of motion. Some long-term outcomes are an increase in performance and having more stability in the knee. With pros of having this reconstruction come cons. The cons of having this type of graft are that the surgeon could mismatch the tunnels. An incorrect tunnel placement results in the graft protruding from the tibia tunnel after proper placement within the femoral tunnel. If this was to happen then more problems could occur then just the ACL reconstruction. Which then could result in another surgery. Removing too much of the tendon could cause a patella fracture but is a very rare state. Also can cause damage to the extensor mechanism. All of the following cons could happen during the surgery. Short-term outcome cons is that there is anterior knee pain, especially when kneeling or squatting. This anterior knee pain then can also limit your athletic or sport performance and exercise. There is also a loss of extension in the knee. Also patellar tendinouses could form in the knee due to the bone to bone rubbing against one another. Long-term cons are that constant loss of extension as well as