For Chris Berardis, lacrosse is more than just a game – it’s a sport that he loves and has spent countless hours training and competing to reach his physical peak. That dedication was tested when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the age of 12. Since Chris’ growth plates were still open, traditional ACL reconstruction (ACLR) was not an ideal option. Along with his parents, they found Dr. Jonathan Glashow, a sports medicine specialist and arthroscopic / orthopedic surgeon at the NYU Langone Orthopedic Center in New York, who introduced them to the BEAR Implant to help the ACL heal itself rather than replacing it with a graft. When Chris underwent surgery in September 2021, he was the first patient to receive the BEAR Implant after its FDA approval in 2020.

Nearly four years later, we spoke with now 16-year-old Chris and his mother Melissa, about why they chose the BEAR Implant, his rehab experience and how he was able to return to being number 1 at the Faceoff Academy National Showcase for lacrosse. Dr. Glashow also connected with us to share more about what it was like to treat the first patient using the BEAR Implant when it was launched in the U.S., why he recommends the implant for growing athletes like Chris and how ACL restoration has transformed his practice.

Q: How did you tear your ACL? 

Chris: At football practice, I went to tackle someone, and my foot planted while my body turned the other direction. I felt a shift and knew something bad had happened since I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t walk at all. My dad is a chiropractor and suspected it was a torn ACL, and then the MRI confirmed it. I was really concerned about being behind for lacrosse because I knew I would have to work really hard to catch up while I took time to recover.

Q. What treatment options did you explore and why did you choose to move forward with the BEAR Implant? How did you learn about the BEAR Implant and why was it the right choice for Chris?

Melissa: Once we confirmed Chris tore his ACL, we started to look into options. Since Chris was only 12 at the time of injury, we knew that drilling through his growth plates with traditional ACLR surgery was not an ideal option. Someone recommended Dr. Glashow to us, and he suggested ACL restoration with the BEAR Implant, which had just received FDA approval. After many discussions about its short- and long-term benefits, similar healing time to reconstruction and rehab process, we decided to move forward with the BEAR Implant. We chose it because we didn’t want to restrict Chris’ growth and didn’t want to take a tendon from another part of his body when we could repair his existing ACL. We had other friends who had ACLR and ended up having setbacks when trying to play sports again, or who ended up retearing the ACL.

Q: Why was Chris a good candidate for the BEAR Implant?

Dr. Glashow: Chris was an ideal candidate for the BEAR Implant because the alternative procedure would have been a major reconstructive operation, which would have led to knee disfigurement, in part due to his open growth plates. I was able to do a more minimally invasive operation, which restored the natural anatomy of his knee without changing the muscles and tendons around his knee that were still growing.

Q: What unique considerations are there for young athletes when it comes to the BEAR Implant vs. ACLR?

Dr. Glashow: I recommend the BEAR Implant for young athletes like Chris because it is less invasive than ACLR. It can restore their anatomy back to where it was before the injury instead of disfiguring the anatomy by borrowing a piece of tissue from somewhere or somebody else and rerouting that through the knee. In patients with open growth plates, traditional reconstruction is most challenging and fraught with failures. In my opinion, these young patients have a greater healing potential with the BEAR Implant.

Q: How was the rehab experience?   

Chris: Rehab was challenging mentally to go to the gym and to be pushed to my physical limit, but I got used to it over time. Pushing as hard as I could for the first couple months helped me to feel better. My mindset was that each day, I would be getting one step closer to playing lacrosse again. Even though I couldn’t play lacrosse during rehab, I went to all my lacrosse practices to watch and stay connected to the team. Rehab was really hard, but once I finished, I felt a lot stronger and more athletic out on the field.

Melissa: During Chris’ rehab, we focused on having a positive mindset to know that every day he would be closer to getting back out on to the field. We are a family that prays a lot, and we knew that this experience would build a lot of character and that it would be tough no matter what. Chris worked so hard to get stronger and learned to take nothing for granted. Even though Chris was cleared to return to sport after nine months, we knew it was important to not rush the healing process. We focused on making sure both knees were equally strong and knew that unilateral exercises would be key for optimal function and success. Along with his rehab, we also made sure he had regular chiropractic adjustments to ensure everything in his body was structurally sound.

Dr. Glashow: Chris was a very dedicated patient. His parents, teachers and coaches were very supportive throughout his recovery, and he did everything we asked. We gave his body time to heal and measured his return to sport based on range of motion, strength and agility. In turn, his hard work has translated into an excellent anatomic result for a young athlete who’s now becoming an adolescent and teenager. We eventually allowed him to return to full contact unrestricted sports at the nine-month mark.

Q: How did you get into lacrosse? Can you tell us about your first time back on the field after getting cleared to return to sport?

Chris: When I was 4 years old, I really liked watching my cousin play lacrosse. I started playing with a few friends and immediately fell in love with the sport. Lacrosse is a year-round sport, and I have been playing for 12 years. In addition to playing for travel and school teams, I now play on the primetime high level club team. I recently switched to Millbrook School, a college preparatory boarding school, because they have a great lacrosse program. I also started playing on the varsity team this past spring, which has really upped my game.

I was cleared to return to sport nine months after my BEAR Implant surgery. Since I returned in the middle of the lacrosse season, my goal was to play as confidently as I could and give it my best effort. Before my first game back, there were a lot of nerves. While I was playing, I felt pretty good but whenever I would cut on my leg that had just healed, I felt a little bit hesitant since it was still a little weaker than my other knee. After the game, there was no pain, and I was really glad I got to play lacrosse again and earn starting position as a freshman.

Melissa: We were confident that Chris was ready to play lacrosse again at nine months post-surgery. Although we anticipated he might be a little weaker in his supporting ligaments, we were grateful to see him back on the field doing what he loved. We knew he might experience feeling cautious at first, and this would be very normal sports psychology after a big injury like an ACL tear. We worked with him step by step to overcome any fears he had. The BEAR Implant surgery has been a huge catalyst for his growth.

Q: What, in your opinion, is most notable about the BEAR Implant and how has it impacted how you treat ACL tears?

Dr. Glashow: I find the BEAR Implant’s consistent ease of use, adaptability and reliability most notable. It has changed the way I handle the great majority of ACL tears because it has enabled me to fix rather than replace or reconstruct a knee. I’m able to keep the patient’s native ligament and allow it to heal consistently instead of doing a more invasive surgery.

Q: Have you observed anything new about the BEAR Implant in your most recent cases?

Dr. Glashow: In my patients who have undergone a previous ACL reconstruction on one leg and then chosen the BEAR Implant to treat their subsequent tear on the other, they have highlighted the differences between pain, morbidity, stiffness and return to day-to-day activities. Given how positive their experience has been with the BEAR Implant in comparison to their previous ACLR, it highlights for me firsthand what a difference we’ve made over these recent years to utilize the body’s own healing ability to restore their natural ACL.

Q: How does your knee feel today, and have you had any sports related milestones?

Chris: Four years after my surgery, my BEAR Implant knee still feels exactly like my other non-injured knee. When I’m playing lacrosse, I don’t even think about which is which. I’m definitely a lot more confident playing contact sports now. When I was initially cleared, I was scared I would shift it again, so I wasn’t cutting as hard, and I took it easy the first couple months to take the pressure off. Today, my knees are equal in terms of strength and range of motion. I am very confident in my knee, and I haven’t had any problems or pain.

Some milestones I’ve had include making the high-level club team I tried out for, which is important because most of the kids on this club team are getting recruited to play on high level D1 teams like Princeton, Yale and Notre Dame. I was also invited to a lot of the top lacrosse showcases across the country this past summer and was ranked number one for my age group after competing for six hours in a single elimination competition in the national showcase.

Q: What have you learned through this experience?

Chris: This experience helped me build my work ethic and rehab made me stronger overall, which gave me an edge in the sports I play. Even though it was a really tough journey, I feel mentally and physically prepared for my future. Four years after my surgery, my BEAR Implant knee still feels exactly like my other non-injured knee. When I’m playing lacrosse, I don’t even think about which is which.

Q: What are some of your future goals?

Chris: My main goal is to play lacrosse at a high level D1 university and maybe even play professionally. Professional lacrosse is kind of new, but now there’s even a draft and a lot of the top guys from the collegiate teams get assessed to play professionally. That would be the dream.

Learn more about the BEAR Implant and find a surgeon

The BEAR Implant is available across the U.S. Learn more about the BEAR Implant or find a surgeon in your area. If you’re a parent considering the BEAR Implant for your child, click here for more information.  If you’re a BEAR Implant patient and would like to share your story, click here.

The BEAR Implant from Miach Orthopaedics was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2020. It is indicated for adults, adolescents and children with a complete or partial rupture of the ACL, as confirmed by MRI. Patients must have an ACL stump attached to the tibia to construct the repair. Children with open physes must have sufficient bone in the femoral and tibial epiphyses on either side of the intended tunnel locations to avoid disruption of the growth plates.

It is important to follow the BEAR Implant physical therapy program. Your surgeon can explain the program details.

Be sure to discuss your individual symptoms, diagnosis and treatment with your surgeon. The BEAR Implant has the same potential medical/surgical complications as other orthopedic surgical procedures, including ACL reconstruction. These include the risk of re-tear, infection, knee pain, meniscus injury and limited range of motion.

Visit www.miachortho.com for complete product information, including Instructions for Use.

ML-1312 Rev A 10/2025