Suffering an ACL tear is painful at the time of injury, but can also have lasting effects on your mobility, function and quality of life. Depending on your goals, we offer operative and non-operative care management for torn ACLs.

Although some injured people can modify activities and manage with a torn ACL, for most, there can be detrimental consequences. In the short term, ACL injury can result in further instability and result in cartilage injury. In the longer term the injury carries is a risk of arthritis.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction is a surgical procedure that restores stability to regain function in the injured knee. The surgery involves removing the torn ACL and replacing it with a graft, which may be taken from the hamstring muscle, quadriceps muscle or patellar tendon.

The choice of graft is a decision made by your care team and yourself and is driven by your preferences and evidence-based practices. During the same surgery, we repair any damaged cartilage we encounter as a result of the injury. The surgery in total takes about 1-1.5 hours and you are discharged home on the same day.

Above all, know that you are not  alone in the process of recovery. At UTOSM your recovery is a team effort which includes your orthopaedic surgeons, your physiotherapist, and other members of your own care team. A multidisciplinary approach to your rehabilitation is essential for a successful recovery.

Bankart repair surgery is done to treat anterior shoulder instability in patients who suffer from  recurrent shoulder dislocations.

In terms of anatomy, your shoulder is a ball and socket joint. Think of it as a golf ball on a tee – the golf ball, or humeral head, is quite large as compared to the tee, or in anatomical terms – the glenoid. The tee has a rim around it , known as the glenoid labrum, which provides stability for the humeral head.

Dislocating your shoulder anteriorly is usually associated with a tear in the labrum rim cartilage. This tear is known as a Bankart lesion.

The surgery to repair the Bankart lesion involves either an open or arthroscopic (camera-guided) approach, where the torn labrum is repaired using anchors and sutures. The surgery takes about 1 hour and you are discharged home the same day. 

Occasionally a more involved procedure is required of bone has been injured in addition to the labrum cartilage. In this case, 

Recovery to full range of motion and return to sport following a Bankart Repair takes approximately 4-6 months. Your surgeon will provide you with a post-operative rehabilitation protocol and timeline.

As always at UTOSM, your recovery is a team sport and collaboration with your surgeon, physiotherapist, coaches, and others are key to a successful return to sport. 

We will regularly check in with you at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post-operatively to see how you’re doing.

Who We Are

The hip arthroscopy team at Women’s College Hospital entails four surgeons: Dr Danny Whelan, Dr Jas Chahal and Dr Tim Dwyer.  Together, we form the largest hip arthroscopy centre in Canada.

Our Goals

Our goal is to provide rapid access and evidence-based management of young patients with labral tears of the hip, and femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI).  Utilizing state-of-the-art arthroscopy operating rooms at Women’s College Hospital, we aim to provide timely and appropriate management of young patients with hip pain across the GTA, and the province of Ontario.

Research

As part of the Young Adult Hip Innovation Program (YA-HIP), our goal is to advance the science, understanding, and management of labral tears, FAI.  This includes nonoperative care utilizing evidence-based physiotherapy, online video exercise programs, injections (including biologics), and the latest in surgical techniques.  All surgeons are affiliated with the University of Toronto, and we have a robust research program centered around the management of young adults with hip pathology.

Referrals

Please fax patient referrals including patient demographics, medical history, a description of the injury with x-ray and MRI report directly to the surgeons office.  Contact information for our surgeons is available on under the referrals tab.

Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery is performed to repair torn tendons in the shoulder.

The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles and their respective tendons – the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. These four muscles, along with ligaments and joint capsule, provide stability to the shoulder while allowing extensive range of motion. 

It is the unique strength and stability of the shoulder joint that permits complex motions such as throwing, catching, and reaching overhead.  

Partial or full thickness tears of the rotator cuff muscles can lead to pain, weakness and restrictions in  range of motion. .

Surgery for rotary cuff tears  involve an arthroscopic (camera guided) approach, where the torn muscles are reattached using anchors and sutures. The surgery takes about 1.5-2 hours and you are typically discharged home the same day in a sling.

Recovery to full range of motion, strength and return to your individual activity level takes approximately 6-8  months. Your surgeon will provide you with a post-operative rehabilitation protocol that you will provide to your physiotherapist.

As always at UTOSM, recovery is a team sport and collaboration with your surgeon, physiotherapist, coaches, and others on your team are key to a successful surgery. 

You will reguarly meet your surgeon at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post-operatively where we will check in to see how you’re doing.