Questions About ACL Surgery? Chat With Someone Who’s Been Through It
An ACL injury comes with a lot of questions. What will surgery be like? How difficult is recovery? When can I drive? How long before I can get back to work, school or sports? Is it normal to feel nervous?
While your orthopaedic surgeon is the best source for medical advice, sometimes it also helps to hear from someone who’s already been through the experience.
That’s why Miach Orthopaedics partnered with PatientPartner, a platform that connects patients with volunteer mentors, so prospective BEAR Implant patients and caregivers can better understand what it’s like to heal their torn ACL with the BEAR Implant through real conversations with people who have experienced it firsthand. Whether you’re exploring your treatment options, preparing for surgery or recovering from ACL surgery, you can ask questions and learn from someone who’s been there.
What Is the BEAR Implant Mentor Program?
The BEAR Implant Mentor Program connects prospective patients and caregivers with trained volunteer mentors who have personal experience with the BEAR Implant, either as patients themselves or as caregivers supporting a loved one.
How Does the BEAR Implant Mentor Program Work?
The BEAR Implant Mentor Program connects you one-on-one with someone who has already been through an ACL injury and recovery similar to yours, through the secure PatientPartner platform.
It starts with a short questionnaire about your situation and what you are hoping to get out of a mentor. From there, you are matched with someone who had a similar experience. Once you are matched, you connect through the PatientPartner platform. You send a chat request, then exchange messages whenever it fits your schedule. Everything happens through online messaging, so there is no live phone or video call to line up.
Mentors share their personal experiences, not medical advice. Questions about your injury, treatment options and rehabilitation plan should always be directed to your orthopedic surgeon and healthcare team.
What Can You Chat About?
Every recovery is unique, but many people use the BEAR Implant Mentor Program to ask questions like:
- What was the first week after surgery really like?
- What helped during physical therapy?
- When were you able to drive or return to work or school?
- How did you manage the mental and emotional side of recovery?
- When did your knee begin to feel normal again?
- What do you wish you had known before surgery?
- What was it like to return to sports, exercise or other activities?
Sometimes, simply hearing that someone else had the same questions can make the recovery journey feel a little less overwhelming.
Meet Some of the Mentors
Every ACL recovery looks a little different, and so do the mentors. Some are athletes, some are parents, and some have been through a second ACL tear, but all of them have been right where you are now.
Abby
After tearing her ACL in a skiing accident, Abby researched her treatment options before choosing the BEAR Implant. Today she’s back to daily life and enjoys encouraging others who are just beginning their recovery.
“Recovery was real. Relearning to walk was a lesson in patience I didn’t expect.”
Amy
A mom of three, marathon runner and former Division I track athlete, Amy understands what it’s like to balance recovery with work, family and staying active. She now finds herself helping other athletic moms in her community navigate ACL injuries.
“The mental side is real.”
Ashley
Ashley chose the BEAR Implant after researching her options following a skiing injury. Although she needed an additional procedure to remove scar tissue during recovery, she’s back to weight training, Pilates and an active lifestyle.
“Recovery is hard, physically and mentally… but don’t give up. It will get better.”
Catie
Not every mentor is a patient. Catie is the parent of a young athlete who has undergone the BEAR Implant twice, once on each knee. She understands the questions and emotions parents face when helping a child recover from an ACL injury.
“Talking to other parents who had been through it made the biggest difference.”
Jomari
After experiencing his second ACL tear, Jomari chose the BEAR Implant and has since gone on to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he stays active through daily training and weightlifting.
“I’m happy to share what my experience looked like from start to finish: the good, the hard parts and everything in between.”
You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone
Recovering from an ACL injury means healing your knee and navigating all the questions that come with it. The BEAR Implant Mentor Program mentors featured here remember what it was like to be in your shoes. They’ve experienced the challenges, celebrated the milestones and learned lessons they wish someone had shared with them early on. Now they’re paying that experience forward by helping others who are just beginning their own recovery.
Your healthcare team will guide your treatment. These mentors are there to share what recovery was like for them, answer everyday questions and offer the perspective that only comes from having lived it.
Key Takeaways
- The BEAR Implant Mentor Program, powered by PatientPartner, is free and connects prospective BEAR Implant patients and caregivers with volunteer mentors who have firsthand experience with the procedure.
- Mentors share personal experiences, not medical advice. Your orthopedic surgeon should guide decisions about your injury and treatment.
- Chats can cover surgery, physical therapy, returning to work or sports, and the emotional side of ACL recovery.
- Both patients and caregivers can participate, including parents supporting young athletes through recovery.
- Every recovery is different, but hearing from someone who has been through it can help you understand what the process may involve.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about the BEAR Implant Mentor Program.
Can I chat with someone who has had the BEAR Implant?
Yes. The BEAR Implant Mentor Program lets prospective patients exchange online messages with volunteer mentors who have received the BEAR Implant or supported a family member through the procedure.
Is the BEAR Implant Mentor Program free?
Yes, the program is completely free.
Can parents and caregivers use the BEAR Implant Mentor Program?
Yes. Parents, spouses and other caregivers can use the program, and caregiver mentors can share what it was like to support a loved one through ACL surgery and recovery.
What can I ask a mentor?
You can ask about the mentor’s personal experience with ACL surgery and recovery or the BEAR Implant, such as preparing for surgery, going through physical therapy, returning to work or sports, and managing the emotional side of recovery. Mentors can only speak from their own experience.
Can mentors give medical advice?
No. Mentors cannot recommend a treatment or answer medical questions about your specific injury. Your orthopedic surgeon and healthcare team should guide all medical decisions.
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 explainthe 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.
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