At Tahoe Forest Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, we are always looking to use the latest, evidence-based treatments and techniques to provide you with an exceptional care journey. Providing our patients with more than just the bare necessities in knee treatment, we are proud to offer the BEAR Implant for ACL repair.

What is the BEAR® implant?

The Bridge Enhanced ACL Restoration (BEAR) Implant is a state-of-the-art device designed to help the patient’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) heal itself.

Why the BEAR® implant?

When patients experience an ACL tear, they may require an ACL reconstruction, or ACL replacement surgery. In this outpatient procedure, orthopedic surgeons remove the damaged portion of the ACL and graft the tear back together with another part of the body or with a deceased donor’s tendon.

While ACL reconstruction is reliable, the patient’s ACL is replaced, and many people struggle with returning to the same level of activity they knew. The BEAR Implant helps patients retain their natural ACL tissue, making the recovery time quicker than traditional reconstruction.

Because the implant preserves the patient’s natural ACL tissue, knee surgeons don’t need to remove additional tissue from another part of the body or operate in any secondary areas.

How does the BEAR® implant work?

Over a period of eight weeks, the implant reabsorbs into the body, allowing for the patient’s own tissue to grow and take its place. Knee surgeons use the patient’s blood to place the implant and create a way for the blood to clot and heal.

The ACL cannot heal on its own due to the synovial fluid, or thick inner-joint liquid, which prevents the bones from rubbing together in the knee joint. Because of this fluid, the knee cannot form clots for healing. The BEAR Implant is a bridge that binds the damaged ACL tissues together.

Benefits of the BEAR® implant

  • Natural ACL preserved & restored
  • Faster muscle strength recovery
  • No grafting necessary

Who is a candidate?

  • Patients must be at least 14 years old and have skeletal maturity.
  • Patients must have completely ruptured their ACL, confirmed by an MRI scan.
  • Patients must be able to undergo surgery within 50 days of their ACL injury.

Exceptional care begins at Tahoe Forest Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

At Tahoe Forest Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, our dedicated orthopedic expert is here for you. As a specialty-trained knee surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Hagen is backed by the latest state-of-the-art technology and has extensive experience to bring you the very best in orthopedic care. Dr. Hagen is a fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon and board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has the experience and training you need to reach your goals.

To learn more or to consult with one of our experts about the BEAR Implant for ACL tears, please call (530) 587-7461 or make an appointment request.

Innovative ACL Repair with the BEAR Implant

Hello, I’m Jonathan Hagan, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at Tahoe Forest Health System. I’m here specifically to talk about the BEAR implant, which is a new treatment for ACL tears.

Due to the high level of outdoor recreation we have in Truckee, we see a large number of ACL tears. Specifically, it is one of the most common injuries while skiing. We are very used to seeing, diagnosing, and treating this injury.

The BEAR implant is a novel technique because it allows patients to heal their own ACL as opposed to removing their ACL and reconstructing or replacing it with one of their own tendons. Traditionally, a reconstruction was done, and as I mentioned, the ACL fibers were removed and replaced by a patellar tendon, quad tendon, or hamstring tendon.

The BEAR implant is placed between the torn ends of the ACL. This allows the nerve endings that are in the ACL to remain in place and makes people’s knees feel more natural. Ideally, this prevents reinjury and potentially prevents some problems down the road, like arthritis. This also reduces the injury to the knee when we have to take a second graft or a tendon from around the knee, and it allows patients to regain their strength quicker because they lose less strength from the initial surgery.

I had the opportunity to do the first one in this region in 2022. I’ve been very happy with the results of my patients, and my patients have been happy with their results. I am excited to offer this to the North Tahoe community and to continue to use it in how we treat ACLs moving forward.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about the BEAR implant. I’m Jonathan Hagan, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Tahoe Forest Health System.

Jonathan Hagan, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at Tahoe Forest Health System, introduces the BEAR implant, a groundbreaking treatment for ACL tears. Unlike traditional ACL reconstruction, which replaces the torn ligament, the BEAR (Bridge Enhanced ACL Repair) implant promotes healing by allowing the body to repair its own ACL.

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