Dr. Courtney checking the tension of the knee during the procedure.
Many dogs, especially very active and large breed dogs, suffer from cruciate ligament tears, which is one of the most common cause of lameness in dogs, and will require surgery. The cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) is one of the main stabilizing structures of the knee (stifle) joint in the hindlimbs of dogs. While in the past, this was a debilitating condition that caused much discomfort, the great news is that modern veterinary medicine has the ability to correct this condition via surgery – something our vets at the Animal Hospital of Sussex County are very skilled at performing.
Left untreated, cruciate ligament tears can lead to complications aside from the initial pain of injury, but also cause development of arthritis due to the instability of the joint, chronic as well as acute pain, and even in as many as 50% of cases, lead to damage of the same ligament in the other hind leg.
Arthrex Tightrope & SwiveLock Cruciate Ligament Surgery
Our vets use a combination of the Arthrex Tightrope CCL implant with the Arthrex knotless SwiveLock anchor for CCL surgery in dogs. The Tightrope is a very strong artificial ligament which is anchored securely using bone tunnels and the SwiveLock is a type of anchor that requires no knots or tying off to anchor the ligament in the bone of the dog. Compared with other cruciate ligament surgical procedures, it is less invasive and has been shown to produce amazing results, even in large dogs.
This surgery is often referred to as CCL surgery in dogs, and is very similar to what doctors perform on humans for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Cruciate ligament surgery in dogs is a safe procedure with a very high success rate that can help return your dog to a more regular level of activity with significantly reduced pain.
The Tightrope CCL procedure is minimally invasive with an incredibly high success rate as shown in this post-op radiograph.
You can read more about CCL repair through the Tightrope CCL surgery that Dr. Spinks and the team at Animal Hospital of Sussex County in New Jersey does on our article about Tightrope CCL Surgery, and also read our article about the use of the SwiveLock anchor and how that may help your dog.
Below you can watch a video of the Arthrex Tightrope cruciate ligament surgery in dogs, or watch the video about Knotless SwiveLock CCL surgery to learn more about how these procedures can help your canine friend. Based on each individual case, the veterinarian will review your dog and their medical history and lifestyle and determine the best procedure to get them back on their feet and healed as quickly as possible.
