For 30-year-old Jesse Duvall, dancing isn’t just a sport — it’s a lifestyle, a career, and a core part of his identity. Since 2008, he has been traveling the world competing in breakdancing, judging competitions and teaching at studios. After tearing his ACL during a high-level breakdancing competition, Jesse faced the uncertainty of whether he could return to the explosive, high-impact movements his craft demands.

Jesse and his surgeon, Dr. Jason Holm of Twin Cities Orthopedics in Burnsville, Minnesota, spoke with us about the injury, rehab and recovery and why the BEAR Implant was the right option for Jesse to get back to dance.

Q: How did you tear your ACL?

Jesse: I was at a breakdancing competition in Minneapolis, and my team was ranked in the top 8 of out of 40 teams. After finishing my set during the second round of battles, I stood up, spun out and jumped outward while landing on both heels. As I leaned forward, I felt a snap-pop and it felt like I was twisting inward while my knee was rolling in its socket. I quickly jumped up due to the sharp pain and hopped off stage.

Thinking back, I might have already torn my ACL during an earlier round since it was a familiar but more intense feeling. We won that battle and advanced to the semi-finals, but I knew I was hurt. My team ended up still dancing in the semifinal even though I was injured but lost that round. I initially thought it was a torn meniscus but confirmed it was a torn ACL three weeks after the competition.

Q: How did you learn about the BEAR Implant and why did you choose it?

Jesse: After my ACL tear was confirmed, I was referred to Dr. Holm by friends and family and then was scheduled for surgery 3 days later. At that time, I didn’t know anything about the BEAR Implant. Dr. Holm explained the different options to me and told me that he needed to assess during surgery whether I would be a candidate for either the BEAR Implant, a hamstring graft with ACL reconstruction (ACLR) or a graft using a cadaver. I trusted him wholeheartedly and left it up to his best judgment. I found I got the BEAR Implant after waking up from surgery.

I was happy I received the BEAR Implant because it sounded like a less invasive and more natural option compared to ACLR. I’m relatively young, and I teach, judge and perform breakdancing at a high level. My movements are non-traditional and require me to use my body in dynamic and explosive way from stages to concrete. I really put my faith in Dr. Holm and the team and couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

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

Dr. Holm: Jesse was a great candidate for utilizing the BEAR Implant based on his ACL tear pattern as well as his goals to get back to high impact and deep knee bending and twisting activities that are required for breakdancing. He had competed in breakdancing competitions at a high level with goals to make an Olympic team. Unfortunately, he had a buckling of his knee during a dance competition and was found to have a complete tear of his ACL.

Any loss of motion or strength long term would be difficult to overcome with the demands he was hoping to place on his knee once again after recovery, so it was critical to restore his native anatomy if at all possible. He also had a particular type of ACL tear often associated with a rotational force, where the ACL tore directly adjacent to its insertion point on the femur. To that end, there were very quality fibers to work with in order to hold strong sutures that could be used to place the ACL directly back to its anatomic footprint. The BEAR Implant could then create a scaffold for the knee to retain healing factors that allowed the body to adhere the ACL fibers back to the bone.

Q: Can you tell us about rehab?

Jesse: Getting BEAR Implant was my first surgery ever and I didn’t know what to expect. The initial recovery was somewhat slow and I had problems straightening my leg, getting it to zero and then lifting my leg. As a dancer, I’m pretty flexible, so once things got going, my movement and range of motion came back little by little – from taking small steps, walking up and down and making improvements through strength training. After I was cleared to return to sport at 9 months, we progressed to movements with a lot of variations you see in basketball or ballet. I initially started dancing a little on my own and incorporated these movements into my physical therapy.

Dr. Holm: Jesse was allowed to walk immediately after his surgery. He was able to initiate early range of motion and strengthening. He had no pain at his 6-week follow-up appointment and was walking normally. At 6 months after surgery, he could readily perform a deep squat up to 140 degrees and had excellent strength. At that time, he began to reintroduce his usual activities and, at final follow-up at 10 months, he had confidently resumed training for breakdancing, acrobatics, gymnastics, boxing, running and basketball.

Q: Can you tell us about your return to breakdancing?

Jesse: When I first got back to breakdancing, I had no idea that being able to move to the top of my knees from a kneeling position would be so difficult. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do that movement again, so it was huge when it finally came back. for that to come back for me. I’m much stronger now and it’s been incredibly liberating and a load off my mind to be able to get back to doing tricks like windmills and spinning on my head. I competed in breakdancing again approximately one year after BEAR Implant surgery. Although I didn’t win, I was overjoyed to set foot on a stage again.

Jesse competing one-year post BEAR Implant surgery in the top 8 at the stance x CYPHER ROTUNDA competition in Minneapolis.

Q: How does your BEAR Implant knee feel today?

Jesse: My BEAR Implant knee feels like my uninjured knee and it hasn’t limited me. I get some occasional stiffness, especially if I’m on a flight for more than four hours – but day to day I have no trouble with anything. I’m not worried about myself at the gym, not avoiding stairs or hikes and I’m able to play with my dog and throw my nephews in the air.

The BEAR Implant has allowed me to cut loose and do everything I used to do in breakdancing before my injury. Standing, jumping, hopping, skipping, lunging, spinning and cutting – I can do it all. It’s been the biggest sense of relief getting back a sense of normalcy in my life.

Q: Why do you recommend the BEAR Implant for your patients like Jesse?

Dr. Holm: Restoring native anatomy is the goal of any surgery when a knee ligament has been damaged. If there is an opportunity to harness the body’s own healing capacity and to repair a ligament that has been damaged, this is always my preference. It has long been known that the main barrier to healing of the ACL in the knee has to do with the difficulty in maintaining the healing factors in the correct location as there is a constant flow of normal joint fluid that will wash these healing factors away from the site where cells are trying to bridge the gap between the torn ends of the tendon. This led to the relative abandonment of ACL repairs as a viable treatment option for athletes.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that even well-done ACL reconstructions are not without risk and an unfortunate number of athletes never return to the same level of sport they had been competing at prior to injury. The BEAR Implant provides an excellent solution to this problem and allows us to more closely restore native anatomy in the knee by maintaining the ACL as opposed to reconstructing it with a graft. It remains to be seen if this will be utilized for every ACL tear in the future, but it is certainly showing promise when used in those who are felt to be good candidates.

Q: Would you recommend the BEAR Implant to others and why?

Jesse: I would recommend the BEAR Implant because in my opinion, it’s the closest you’re going to get to having your natural ACL back. I don’t have any foreign matter in my knee, and the BEAR Implant surgery is less invasive compared to traditional ACL surgery.

Q: How has the BEAR Implant technology impacted how you treat ACL tears?

Dr. Holm: The BEAR Implant creates an appropriate environment to optimize ACL healing in the setting of a primary repair. The procedure has expanded my indications for preserving the native ACL with a repair in the setting of an ACL injury. This has numerous potential benefits for the knee. ACL anatomy is very unique and even varies from individual to individual, making it difficult to replicate with a graft. There are certain tear patterns where there is good ACL tissue to work with, and it always feels like a shame to remove that quality tissue. Even the most well-placed grafts do not replicate the normal ACL anatomy structure and function.

The BEAR Implant improves our ability to preserve that quality tissue and restore complex anatomy of the knee. In my experience, ACL preservation increases the chances of having the knee feel “normal” again. In part, this relates to the fact that specialized nerve fibers in the native ACL are retained with a repair. In addition, there are always consequences to harvesting a graft from somewhere else around the knee in order to perform a standard ACL reconstruction. This frequently leads to ongoing pain or weakness at the donor site and can prolong the rehabilitation process.

Q: What are some of your future goals for breakdancing?

Jesse: Since my first breakdancing competition back, I’ve been continuing to train. My hope is to make an even stronger showing at future competitions. Breakdancing is something I’ve done for almost two decades. It’s not just a way to make money but it is my hobby, passion and a way for me to unwind. It’s a huge part of my identity.

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. In patients 14 years and older who have an ACL injury with concomitant knee injuries, ACL restoration with the BEAR Implant reduces the risk of developing post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or higher), at 6-years post-surgery, compared to ACL reconstruction (ACLR) surgery using hamstring tendon autograft.

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

ML-1404 Rev A 07/2026