http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/index/0,22045,5006065,00.html
Round 8 sounds almost bearable.
Wonder what the downside / side effects are. It almost sounds too good to be true, and if the success rate is reasonable, you have to wonder why everyone (who can afford it) doesn't use this technique. Or maybe it's just a case of few surgeons thus far able to use it and too little time to gather data on success rates.
I think its because it's relatively new, but pretty safe from what I know.
Nearly all cases have proven to cut recovery time in half, but they just don't know what the full effects can be on different people.
Of course, different people and different bodies will react differently to the procedure, and that has to be taken into account too.
This surgery;
Injured in Launceston on February 17, he underwent what is known as a ligament augmentation and reconstruction system (LARS), where a ligament made of industrial-strength polyester fibres is used to replace the torn natural ligament.
..in place of;
The surgery is performed arthroscopically. The ruptured ligament is removed and then tunnels (holes) in the bone are drilled to accept the new graft. This graft which replaces your old ACL is taken either from the hamstring tendon or the patella tendon. There are advantages & disadvantages of each with the final decision based on surgeons preference. The graft is prepared to take the form of a new tendon and passed through the drill holes in the bone.
With the surgery that Malceski's gotten, no tendons are removed, no bone drilled, so that significantly reduces the recovery period. Of course, you can also take a graft from a cadaver, but anti-inflammatory and anti-immune drugs must be taken for a considerable period of time (Alisa Camplin undertook this surgery before the '06 Winter Olympics).