Motivation

Motivation

As a combination of Mechanical Engineers and Integrative Engineering: Bioengineers, we are a group that has a desire to mix engineering with the physiological components of the human body. After filtering through different ideas and topics that we could do for this project, we landed on improving ACL reconstruction surgery, as we found orthopedic surgery to be the perfect overlap of human physiology, mechanical engineering and an overall interest in the ACL. To further our understanding of this topic and to define problems, we conducted interviews with orthopedic surgeons and found research on ACL reconstruction as well as more specific aspects of the topic.

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a tough, fibrous connective tissue which governs knee movement, are amongst the most disruptive setbacks an athlete can face. A technique, Lemaire LET (lateral extra-articular tenodesis), has been used in addition to an ACL reconstruction to reduce excess rotation in the knee. Reducing excess rotation in the knee can help prevent future ACL tears. Ideal drilling angles and depths for tunnels for Lemaire LET procedures are still currently being explored (Zhu et al.). Both traditional ACL repairs (ACLRs) and ACLRs with LET require tunnels, which can intersect and cause the surgery to fail. Our goal is to create a guide to prevent tunnel intersection. Dr. Ben Saks, one of our interviewees and an orthopedic surgeon, noted that LET is a popular topic within the field of orthopedic surgery. More is being published on this type of procedure and the procedure will likely become more common.  There are many ACL guides already on the market and being used in operating rooms, but none for LET.  Therefore, there is both a need and an opportunity for innovation for drill guides specifically for LET tunnels. This conclusion was supported by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ben Saks during an interview with our team; Saks asserted that drill guides for traditional ACL reconstruction are extremely well engineered, but specializing in Lemaire LET drill guides would be a good way for our design team to make an impact. Read more on our interviews with Dr. Ben Saks and other surgeons on our interviews page.