Dr. Rudzki had the privilege of training in Sports Medicine and developing his knee surgical skills at Washington University in St. Louis and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He has performed high caliber research on cartilage transplantation as well as ACL injury in NHL players and written articles on bioabsorbable knee implants and fracture fixation about the knee.
Dr. Rudzki has a high level of expertise in the performance of arthroscopic ligament reconstruction, cartilage restoration, complex meniscal repair, treatment of patellar instability, osteotomy and fracture treatment about the knee in a wide range of athletes from adolescents to professionals. He serves on the clinical faculty of the George Washington University School of Medicine teaching medical students and orthopaedic surgical residents. As a consultant for Arthrex and Stryker, Dr. Rudzki engages heavily in medical education to train surgeons and product specialists on emerging techniques and engages with engineers on product design teams to help develop better tools and techniques. As a member of the AAOS Evaluation Committee, he spent several years writing questions on knee injuries and surgical treatments for surgeons in practice and in training.
This case example of ACL Reconstruction demonstrates a common example summarizing indications, surgery, rehab, and functional outcomes.
MRI image of pivot-shift bone bruises sustained at the time of ACL tear.49 year-old male mountain-biker, skier, and fitness enthusiast with acute knee injury.
Workup/Images
History, physical exam, and imaging are consistent with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear.
Patient undergoes successful arthroscopic hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction. This is performed with a high-definition fiberoptic video camera to remove the torn, incompetent ACL and create anatomic tunnels on the femur and tibia to place a hamstring graft which becomes the new Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
Intraoperative image of Hamstring ACL ReconstructionPatient undertakes comprehensive post-operative physical therapy program and returns to mountain bike racing and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with his son.
Over 100,000 ACL reconstructions are performed each year in the United States. These procedures are highly effective for patients who want to return to sports requiring pivoting, cutting, and lateral movement. The surgical techniques continue to improve with better knowledge of the true ACL anatomy, medial portal drilling techniques, fixation devices, and rehabilitation protocols. Continued research focuses on how to improve surgical treatment and post-operative rehabilitation of these injuries.
Elite Sports Medicine Care from High School to College
Our team first met Matt after a lacrosse-related knee injury in which he tore his ACL and had a severe meniscus injury called a “bucket-handle” tear. Through a staged pair of surgeries, his meniscus was
Back in Action After ACL Reconstruction over 60
Chief Complaint/Injury Jeff is a hiker, skier, and fitness enthusiast who suffered an acute injury to his left knee due to a skiing accident in March of 2017. He came to us with an unstable
Patient Testimonial: Hiking and skiing after ACL reconstruction and ACL Rehab
ACL REHAB: Skiing, Hiking, Martial Arts, & Patient Goals Many patients want to get back to skiing after ACL rehab. From adolescent racers to helicopter skiers in the back-country and recreational skiers in their
