Cross Bracing Protocol and ACL in the Media

Personal trainer Danyelle Anderson ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee during a kickboxing class. “My whole world came crashing down, pretty much,” she said.

She was told by an orthopaedic surgeon that it wasn’t possible for her ACL to heal and that a surgical reconstruction was needed.

Reluctant to have an operation, she decided to see if her knee would improve with physiotherapy. Three months later, a follow-up MRI showed her injury had gone from a grade three complete rupture, where the ligament is torn completely in half, to a less severe grade one tear, where some of the fibres are continuous.

“So basically, my ACL has reattached and is healing,” she said.

Pioneering knee surgeon Merv Cross – who was on speed dial for everyone from Kerry Packer to battling park footballers – has passed away after a long battle with lung disease. He was 82.

A former rugby league forward for South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs and North Sydney, Cross revolutionised keyhole surgery and arthroscopic ACL reconstruction for some of the world’s greatest athletes.