Reinforcing Outcomes: The Research Pyramid of the InternalBrace™ Technique in ACLR—Episode 2: Biomechanical Research

In the second episode of this three-part series, Bruce A. Levy, MD (Orlando, FL), and Patrick A. Smith, MD (Naples, FL), explore the peer-reviewed, published biomechanical research evaluating the concept of load sharing and how the InternalBrace™ technique impacts displacement, load, and stiffness for different graft sizes and types, including:

• Biomechanical features of FiberTape® suture

• The importance of independent fixation to create a load-sharing construct to avoid stress shielding

• Dr. Smith’s first biomechanical model, in which he explored how adding the InternalBrace technique impacts displacement as compared to grafts alone

^{The InternalBrace surgical technique is intended only to augment the primary repair/reconstruction by expanding the area of tissue approximation during the healing period and is not intended as a replacement for the native ligament. The InternalBrace technique is for use during soft tissue-to-bone fixation procedures and is not cleared for bone-to-bone fixation.}