The patellar tendon graft (PTG) has always been the gold standard for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Yet, most orthopedic surgeons prefer hamstring grafts for younger athletes and cadaver grafts for older patients.

PTGs allow for unrestricted rehabilitation and earlier return to sports than hamstring grafts. With the ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation process used at Shelbourne Knee Center, athletes return to sport in an average of about 4–6 months after surgery⁽¹⁾, compared to 12 months or more for hamstring grafts.

Pre-operative rehabilitation (pre-op rehab) has been a key part of the Shelbourne Knee Center system for optimizing surgical outcomes and helping patients return to the field and/or their lives since 1989. Most patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) improve enough through pre-op rehab that they no longer need surgery.

Athletes treated for ACL tears at Shelbourne Knee Center return to sport at a higher rate and faster than athletes treated elsewhere: 85–90% of Shelbourne Knee Center patients return to sport ⁽¹⁾, compared to a 50–60% average for most orthopedic practices In as little as 3 months after surgery, some Shelbourne Knee Center patients return to sport. On average, patients return to sport about 4–6 months after surgery ⁽²⁾, compared to 12 months or more elsewhere.

The future is often gloomy for patients who’ve had failed knee surgery. Poor range of motion (ROM), pain and stiffness, and differences between the two knees cause functional limitations in daily life. Athletes who’ve had a failed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are unlikely to return to competitive sport. Even after revision ACL reconstruction or total knee arthroplasty (TKA), most patients are unlikely to have two strong knees and full function.

Athletes with ACL tears and patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) often accept the treatment recommended by the first physician they see. This is a big mistake. “If your knee surgery doesn’t work out, you can’t go back and try it again,” says K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, orthopedic surgeon and founder of Shelbourne Knee Center.

As a high school volleyball and basketball player, Sarah A. Eaton, PT, DPT, ATC, LAT, had a few minor injuries. Eaton went to see the athletic trainer and physical therapist who cared for students at Bishop Leurs in Fort Wayne, Indiana. “I was fascinated by how he could ask you some questions and do tests and know what was going on and what to do about it,” says Eaton, who is a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Shelbourne Knee Center.

When Orthopedic Surgeon K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, began his practice in 1982, the mother of a 15-year-old girl whose ACL he had reconstructed asked him a question he couldn’t answer. “She wanted to know what was going to happen to her daughter’s knee in 20 years. I had no idea,” says Dr. Shelbourne.

To find out what would happen down the road, Dr. Shelbourne began to collect data on his patients. For 38 years now, he’s been using that data to continually improve outcomes for patients at Shelbourne Knee Center.

Claire Neff grew up with a ball in her hand, not a Barbie doll. Surrounded by three older sisters who all played basketball, the 17-year-old from Bel Air, Maryland, started playing basketball at age 5.

In her junior season as a player for Maryvale Prep, Neff scored 1,000 points. An article on the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland website called her a “junior basketball standout.”