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The cranial cruciate ligament or CCL is one of the main stabilizing structures of the knee joint in dogs. Its main job is to hold the femur and tibia in proper alignment during activity. Deficiency of the CCL is one of the most common orthopedic problems  in dogs and inevitably results in degenerative joint disease, or arthritis in the knee joint. Symptoms your dog may display are limping, holding the hindlimb up, sitting with the leg stuck out to the side, stiffness, pain or clicking sounds when walking.

If your pet is diagnosed with CCL disease, surgery may be a treatment option. The most common technique is called Lateral Suture Stabilization, which involves placing a heavy, medical grade suture outside the joint. This suture acts as a temporary stabilizer as the dog makes new functional scar tissue around the knee for long-term stability.

Recently, a new technique was developed to provide a minimally invasive and improved method for CCL stabilization. Tightrope CCL involves drilling small holes in the femur and tibia to pass a synthetic ligament-like biomaterial through to provide bone-to-bone stabilization during healing. This biomaterial is called FiberTape and is similar to kevlar, which has proven to be stronger and less prone to failure. This biomaterial has been used in human orthopedics for many years.

We have been utilizing the Tightrope CCL technique in our clinic for the past few months with great success. If you would like more information, please call our office at (715) 693-4560 or click here. 

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