Kirt Kimball, MD, Kevin Christensen, MD, and Jeffrey Wallentine, MD, utilized a new anterior cruciate ligament surgical method, developed by James Andrews, MD, to repair Provo, Utah-based Brigham Young University tight-end Moroni Laulu-Pututau's knee, Desert News reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. Mr. Laulu-Pututau tore his ACL during the team's Sept. 29 game. The team of surgeons performed the surgery Oct. 11.
2. The surgical technique could speed up traditional ACL surgery recovery rates by 40 percent. In March, Dr. Andrews repaired the torn ACL of Auburn (Ala.) University wide receiver Will Hastings, who was cleared to play again within five and a half months of surgery.
3. The regenerative medicine method uses a combination of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells to speed up the recovery process, which can traditionally take up to nine months or more with reconstruction surgery.
4. Drs. Kimball, Christensen and Wallentine are orthopedic surgeons at Provo-based Revere Health. Dr. Kimball specializes in computer-assisted surgery, and both Drs. Christensen and Wallentine specialize in orthopedic sports medicine.
5. Dr. Andrews is a founding partner of Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. He is one of the leading orthopedic surgeons in the world, and his center is internationally recognized for its sports medicine treatments. He is also the Tampa Bay Rays' orthopedic medical director.