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Knee ligaments -
Anterior cruciate ligament
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Video: Is ACL surgery painful?
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Video: Is ACL surgery painful?
By Mayo Clinic staffTranscript
Edward Laskowski, M.D., Mayo Clinic specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation
After surgical reconstruction of the ACL, most people tell us that the first two weeks is really quite a painful period, and we don't try and hide that from the patient. We try and control that with pain medications, with frequent application of ice and (with) compressive garments to get the swelling in the knee down. And that often does a very nice job. But we do want people to know that. Some people may think, "Well, this isn't open-heart surgery. It's just knee surgery." But it still is a significant procedure.