The term “All Press Fit“ stands for anatomically correct cruciate ligament plastic surgery of foreign implants. This method, developed by Dr Gernot Felmet at the ARTICO Sports Clinic, offers a number of benefits to the patient.

When losing the front cruciate ligament, an unstable guidance of the knee joint will occur. This results in insecurity and staggering movement, the load for which the cartilage is not made. Internal and external meniscus is endangered and might tear off or bruised. In order to prevent self-destruction of the joint the muscle power will not be sufficient in the medium to long term. Therefore it is required to replace the front cruciate ligament.
 
Usually own tendons, such as the patella tendon or the semitendinosus and gracilis tendon, are used to replace the cruciate ligament. These are pulled in the implantation channels and fastened by means of screws or staples. If the cruciate ligament replacement was torn off again, these foreign materials will have to be removed, mostly causing larger bone defects. Bone transplantations are often required in order to enable a cruciate ligament replacement again.

In order to solve these problems, a surgery method which is free of foreign materials was developed by Dr Felmet in the ARTICO Sports Clinic.
Using bone dowels, which stem from the implantation channels or which stick directly to the tendon as with the patella tendon, the body’s own tendon is pressed into the implantation channels. This functions like a cork on a bottle or like a wooden dowel. This method was made perfect by means of a fixing in the vicinity of the joint so that a correct anatomical reconstruction takes place. Aftercare is also considerably speeded up, because the new cruciate ligament together with the bone dowels will be healed in firmly into the bone structures after three and a half to four weeks.

The surgery is carried out in the outpatient department or also under in-patient conditions, but in any case in a minimum-invasive way.  From outside, you will only see the two little skin cuts of the arthroscopy and an approximately two centimeter skin cut at the inner shinbone head, via which the pair of tendons (with hamstring) is gained and pulled into the joint. With bone cylinders, which are made when the implantation channels are created using hollow trephines (no material loss as with drilling), the tendon transplant is anchored press fit near the joint and firmly heals in within 3 to 4 weeks. The remaining channel will also be filled up with remaining bones.

Ability to go in for sports will be achieved after three to six months depending on the personal training condition and ambition. Fitness for work will be achieved after three to four weeks in case of slight physical strain. A further advantage, apart from the mere biological operation, is that in case of a renewed rupture the cruciate ligament can be replaced again using the same technique without making a significant compromise.