One of the most common injuries to sports professionals, athletes and us common folk is injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. The ligament is extremely important in knee joint stability and can be damaged through fast changes in direction as well as pivoting or twisting movements, as is common in many sports.

One of the most common treatments for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL repair) is arthroscopic knee surgery. Repair of a torn anterior cruciate ligament is performed on an outpatient basis, and is often performed with an arthroscope, a very thin, flexible fiberoptic scope about the diameter of a common drinking straw introduced in a very small (about 1/8 inch) incision in the knee joint. A camera attached to one end of the arthroscope enables the surgeon to view the joint without the major tissue damage and longer healing processes involved in most traditional incision-type surgical procedures.

Knee surgery requires experience and precision utilizing an orthopedic surgeon, most preferably a knee orthopedic surgeon who understands and has performed knee surgeries and repairs using the latest in technology and equipment.

Actual repair of the anterior cruciate ligament may average around $3,000 using arthroscopy, but hospital costs, surgeon’s fees and anesthesiologist fees and physical therapy costs add up, leaving many individuals, depending on medical coverage, paying between $10,000 to $30,000 for the procedure in the United States. The same surgical procedure and treatment in India may average around $3,200, while medical patients traveling to destinations like Almater Hospital in Mexico or Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, India may pay an average between $4,300 to $9,400.