Helping the Body Heal Itself With The BEAR Implant

For Joe, downhill skiing is more than just a hobby. "I live to ski," says the 61-year-old Bellevue resident.

Last winter, Joe had already been skiing 21 times that season when he found himself braving windy conditions at Crystal Mountain. As he maneuvered through a patch of icy snow, he heard – and felt – a crunch. He knew he'd torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL): "It was like snapping asparagus."

Within a few days, Joe was referred to Dr. Camille Clinton, a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at EvergreenHealth Orthopedics & Sports Care. "I liked her immediately," Joe said, describing her as approachable, scientifically knowledgeable and warm.

After an initial evaluation, it was clear that Joe was a candidate for traditional ACL surgical repair, a time-tested procedure that has been the standard of care for decades.

However, Joe was also a candidate for a new ACL-repair procedure, known as the Bridge-Enhanced® ACL Restoration (BEAR®) Implant. Performed by only a few surgeons in Washington, the BEAR implant procedure represents one of the most significant advances in ACL tear treatment in more than 30 years.

According to Dr. Clinton, what makes the BEAR implant unique is its ability to facilitate the body's own healing of the torn ligament. The procedure uses a bio-engineered collagen implant injected with the patient's own blood to act as a bridge between the two ends of the torn ACL. As the patient recovers, the body fuses the ACL back together, and the implant is harmlessly absorbed by the body as the ACL heals.

There are certain criteria patients must meet to be a good candidate for the procedure, including being within 50 days of the initial injury and having enough tendon attached to the bone. It is also important for patients to understand the potential benefits of the BEAR procedure but also that it is new and has less data than standard ACL reconstruction.

Luckily, Joe proved to be a great candidate, and it's now been 18 months since his BEAR implant procedure. He couldn't be happier with the results.

"Today I'm able to do everything that I would normally do," he says. "It's almost as if the injury didn't happen," he says.

Learn more about Dr. Clinton and sports medicine at www.neuro-spine-ortho.com.