Questions to Ask Your Orthopedist in Las Vegas, NV Prior to ACL Surgery

After an athlete has been injured, they may find themselves needing surgery. For those who have a damaged ACL, an ACL repair is the procedure you will most likely need. This repair may not be as intimidating as open-heart surgery, but that doesn’t mean people still shouldn’t be concerned about various aspects of the procedure.

Should you be preparing yourself for an ACL repair, there are a few questions you should consider asking your doctor before going under the knife. Here is a list of questions you may want to ask your orthopedist in Las Vegas, NV prior to your surgery for ACL repair:

• How invasive is the surgery? Thanks to many advances in technology over the years, certain procedures and operations have become less invasive. What this means is that the surgery won’t affect you as much, and you will be able to have a procedure done with the benefit of smaller incisions, less pain and a shorter recovery time. If your surgery is invasive, you may experience a high amount of pain, larger incisions, scarring and more.
• How long will the operation take? Some procedures take hours, while some take less than an hour. It is actually normal for patients to inquire about how long their surgery will take, so this is something you should not be afraid to ask your doctor. Even though you will likely be under anesthesia the whole time, this is another aspect of the surgery that most patients would to be aware of before the operation.
• What is the expected recovery time? How long it takes you to recover will depend on various things, including how invasive the surgery is and the extent of your ACL injury. The recovery time can put a damper on any plans you may have made to go on vacation, or impact how quickly you can get back to playing the sport you love, so it is important to know and be prepared to rest till you are healed.
• Do you have experience performing this procedure? Patients can sometimes find it comforting when a doctor has years of experience under his or her belt. However, just because a doctor doesn’t have a lot of experience performing this procedure doesn’t mean they won’t successfully complete it. Even if you aren’t terribly worried about the procedure going in, it can still put your mind at ease knowing that this operation is one your doctor has performed in the past.

In many cases, your doctor will go over the process of the surgery, as well as what you should do prior to the procedure, what you should do afterwards and what you can expect as a result. Should there be any other concerns or questions you have about your ACL repair, do not hesitate to speak up. Your doctor is there to help, so they can surely assist you with any issues you may be having regarding the surgery.

Do you think you might need an orthopedist in Las Vegas, NV to repair your ACL? Please contact Bernard Ong, M.D. to learn more about how we put our years of experience to use in repairing torn ACLs and getting athletes back up and running again.

Categorized in: Orthopedist

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