12 year old son completely torn ACL

by Becky
(Hamilton NY)

My 12 year old son has completely torn his ACL in a football game. Our surgeon wants to do surgery next Wednesday to fix the problem. He will be using a tendons from the hamstring to repair it. He also has a possible LCL partial tear that will be fixed at the same time if it is needed.

I'm so scared that the surgery will alter the growth of his bones after the surgery. Our surgeon has never done this surgery on someone so young with the growth plates still "open". He does approx. 350 ACL surgery's a year on adults. My son is small for his age (85 lbs & 58" tall). He is "researching" on the exact way it should be done. We have total confidence in him as a surgeon for adults as he has operated on my husband and my 21 year old son also.

My question is this. How common is it for this type of surgery in a child? Have you ever heard of this happening in someone so young and if so, what was their outcome? Was the growth of their bones altered in any way? Should we be putting off surgery and finding a pediatric ortho surgeon??

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12 year old son completely torn ACL

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Oct 05, 2008
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open growth plates
by: Bart - SII

I have not seen very many young ACL tears - most have been 13 or 14, yet still have open growth plates. In all of these cases, the surgeons have waited until the growth plates close before performing the surgery.

The common thinking with the surgeons I have worked with is that it isn't worth the risk to perform the procedure with the plates still open. I haven't personally seen any patients younger than 13 who had an ACL reconstruction.

I would recommend talking to your physician about your concerns, and possibly seeking a second opinion or a consult with another surgeon who has performed this procedure in young patients.

Bart