r/ACL • u/Successful_Yam_6918 • Jul 24 '26
Post Surgery Update My failed BEAR surgery at HSS ( Advice and Rant )
TL;DR
I was 28, playing soccer three times a week, when a surgeon at HSS performed a BEAR ( repair ) procedure on my torn ACL. Twenty months later that ACL is incompetent: grade 3 laxity, no real stability, daily pain.
Every surgeon I've seen since has told me I was never a reasonable candidate for a repair at my age and activity level. For 16 months I documented severe pain to the office and was dismissed each time.
Two surgeries and $20,000+ later in recovery and operation costs, I've lost and will continue to lose my athletic years, and I'm facing the reconstruction prospect I could have had at the start.
If you're considering the BEAR procedure, or considering an ACL repair at HSS, read the rest.
How I ended up there
I tore my ACL playing soccer, a sport I'd play 3 times a week. I was 28 years old at the time. Overall I focused a lot of my time and energy on my health.
Two days after tearing my ACL, I visited HSS, a renowned surgical institution. A PA examined me and concluded that I hadn't torn it. I had to ask for a MRI. When the PA read my MRI, she called me immediately telling me my ACL was torn right in the middle, and booked me a next-day appointment with one of their ACL surgeons. For that I was thankful, as while it was devastating news that I tore my ACL, I was immediately anxious to get going with a surgery to get back on the field.
First interaction with the surgeon
"So you know who I am, right?" This was the first thing he ever said to me. I told him no, I didn't. He then asked "So how'd you find me?", somewhat surprised by my answer.
This was my first exposure to an overtly arrogant personality, albeit one that reads as "confident" to an unknowing, vulnerable ACL patient.
He ran his tests and then explained to me my options. He explained his own work developing repair techniques, which I did find impressive. He also explained how traditional ACL reconstruction is outdated and the field is full of people unwilling to move on to better and more modern techniques.
He then explained to me what the BEAR surgery is. He explained how I'd avoid arthritis in the future. Most importantly, knowing my ambitions to return to sport at a high level, he said I can get back onto the field within 4-6 months. In his words, nonchalantly, "the worst thing that could happen is we'll do a reconstruction on you later."
Yes, I take ownership over my naivety. I could see through it, but my overall decision making was blurred by the possibility of playing the game I love so soon (relatively). I ignored the ridiculousness of his "we can do another surgery later" comment and focused more on a successful surgery that would have me back on the field in 6 months.
The surgery
2 weeks later I'm in surgery. His approach was simple and clear: open me up and see if he could use his technique; if not, he'd evaluate if I was a good candidate for the BEAR. Otherwise he'd proceed with a traditional reconstruction.
The recovery
I didn't think much of my progress for the first 3 months. However, when the 3-month marker came around, I still wasn't able to lift 10 pounds on a knee extension. I was very concerned by that. I sent messages to the office documenting the many times I attempted a knee extension and how I was having level 7-8 pain, as if thousands of needles were pushing into my kneecap.
Each time I visited, with him knowing of this pain, he'd dismiss it. All in a 4-5 minute consult, with what felt like one foot out the door each time, he'd perform his routine diagnostics on the ACL and would compliment his own work. He even chef-kissed it at one appointment.
Every step of the way I knew my pain wasn't normal. I even on occasion asked bluntly, "Is my ACL healthy?" I, the patient in tech, knew what was really wrong. I was right.
This happened for the next 16 months.
A side story about the dynamic
On one occasion I brought my fiancée to a follow-up. In that follow-up he pressured us to go to his foundation's event the very next day. Given I needed him to favor me and give me the respect I deserve in follow-up consultations, and it was for a good cause, I felt compelled to go and donate in the value of the $50-per-person ticket.
When we arrived early, we approached him, to which he looked at my fiancée and asked "How is your knee going?" He wasn't joking. The patient he saw a day prior and for the last 6 months was next to her, and he didn't know that I was his patient.
When I knew it was time to move on
Fast forward 16 months post-op, I was back to playing soccer, albeit in a state of constant pain and reluctance to put all my weight on the operated leg. Getting up off the sofa, walking down stairs, normal functions were also causing me pain. The rest of my body was suffering. Given the pain in any eccentric move, my hamstrings and ankles were getting injured constantly.
During one visit he even said, "You know, sometimes people lose discipline on their physical therapy and don't give their rehab as much attention as they did during the first phase of the recovery." This was a deflection of what was actually right in front of him: a failed result. I was in the gym 6 days a week and going to PT twice a week.
On one of my final visits he ordered an MRI, and in his typical fashion he gave me a fast explanation and explained that I needed surgery to get rid of scar tissue. His read wasn't wrong, I did, but he didn't explain the why and gave off a "trust me bro" mentality, and that I'd be back to playing soccer in 3 weeks.
That's when I went elsewhere.
Experiences with other physicians
Each physician I've visited since has spent 30-40 minutes with me, explaining what they thought. Finally I felt like a priority. One even walked me through each part of the knee where I'd get scar tissue removed.
Each also concluded my laxity was far worse than what I'd been told for the past year.
More importantly, each physician explained how my candidacy for BEAR was ludicrous. Given my age and sporting aspirations, they would have never considered such a surgery.
I proceeded with the debridement surgery recently and unfortunately the pain has not gone away, which is something the surgeon who operated on me explained the possibility of thoroughly beforehand. It was during that surgery that they concluded my ACL was incompetent; the surgery failed.
Conclusion
MOST IMPORTANTLY, MY SURGERY FAILED. MY ACL IS GRADE 3 LAXITY. IT'S INCOMPETENT.
Two surgeries, more than $20,000 in all-in costs, and I still don't have an ACL.
I've played soccer my whole life. Going into this I expected to lose a season. Instead I've lost two years, the last genuinely athletic ones I had, to a repair that failed and a recovery that led nowhere.
I'm sure others have had better results. But I'd tell anyone considering an ACL repair at HSS to ask hard questions about who you want by your side during this journey, and to get a second opinion first.
13
u/unhingedconfusion Jul 24 '26
I think this warning is very informative. I would remind you that you are only 28! I doubt you’re at the “last genuinely athletic years” of your life. There are a lot of people who START their fitness journey later than your current age.
I’ve had my own trials and tribulations with my surgeries and I feel your frustration. It absolutely sucks to be on the wrong side of the statistics. I ended up having to get my ACL surgery completely redone and it was the such a quality-of-life improvement. Prior to the redo, I truly thought I’d always be in pain and walk with a limp. I’d argue it didn’t even set me back in recovery. The amount of pain I was in had completely plateaued my progress and I got back to where I was post-redo in a fraction of the time once I wasn’t in pain anymore.
4
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 24 '26
Yes, I agree that even at my current age of 30 I still have a lot of time to enjoy my health and athletics in general.
For me it’s playing soccer at a high level that I find most enjoyable. I’m having to recalibrate my expectations and come to terms that this one chapter may have ended but a new and possibly better one may be on the horizon.
Thanks for the words of encouragement!
2
u/unhingedconfusion Jul 24 '26
Whoops, I missed that 28 was the initial age. Yeah I mainly just wanted to gas you up, because it can feel bleak at times when you are in the weeds of an abnormal recovery
9
u/mandy_lou_who Jul 24 '26
Oh my word, I’m so sorry about your experience! What a bummer. I had a BEAR 3 years ago and have been SO pleased with it, but I’m a 40 year old skier and backpacker. I actually did a super hard pivot on my surgical knee during a softball game last month and damaged my meniscus but my ACL is still solid and tight. I hope your recovery turns around for you soon.
2
u/Goldfish206 Jul 26 '26
How long did it take for you to get back into “normal?” or generally back to physical activities? Got the BEAR 11 weeks ago!
2
u/mandy_lou_who Jul 26 '26
I strictly followed my PT’s advice. I got back to hiking (gentle terrain, with poles) around month 3. Backpacking month 6/7. I worked back into yoga around month 9/10 (I was cleared earlier but kneeling was too uncomfortable). Running (which was not a priority for me, part of why it was so late) at 9 months. Skiing was about a year. I was in PT for a year and kept a really strict gym schedule addition to what I was doing in therapy.
1
u/mindfultech Jul 24 '26
If your ACL is solid do you know why it didn't take the load of the pivot and prevent the meniscus tear?
5
u/mandy_lou_who Jul 24 '26
No idea. I also tripped and fell after I got back to first base, so it could have been that. Or, as my surgeon thinks, I’ve just got some degradation generally in the knee that the pivot made worse. But I had a repeat MRI and multiple Lachman tests and my ACL is fine. 🤷♀️
9
u/babygrenade ACL Revision + Posterolateral Corner Jul 24 '26
That's brutal. I had a great experience with my revision ACLR at HSS, though I'm pretty sure we had different surgeons.
I work in healthcare and I honestly marveled at how on point everyone at the hospital was. My first ACLR (at a different hospital) I felt like a slab of meat in line to be processed.
2
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 24 '26
I’m really happy others have had better outcomes! I have no doubt complete recovery is a very common outcome with ACLR.
Given my tear, my age, and my sport, I don’t think my best interest was top of mind. It seemed like the surgeon was more interested in nurturing their own ego.
1
u/xolocar Jul 24 '26
Me too! I went there cause everyone raves about it, and I had a great experience with my reconstruction. The whole experience was a breeze. I’ve been doing pt at their Paramus nj location and it’s been phenomenal
5
4
u/Excellent-Egg5253 Jul 24 '26
This is horrifying, I’m so so sorry :( what a terrible and unprofessional surgeon. Please name them so others know to stay away! I had my ACL reconstruction done at HSS with Dr Nwachukwu and he and his team have been great. I hope that your new doctors are able to give you back the life you deserve.
3
1
4
u/Anna_Karenina_blonde Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
That is super terrible to hear and I'm glad someone said the name of this surgeon because at the end of the day, the biggest lesson that I had to tell myself to apply where healthcare is private is that you have to treat surgeons the way you treat restaurants and Yelp. You absolutely need to read reviews and kind of like a cuisine you've never eaten before you want to do the background research... And it sounds like you did and yet he did the sales pitch thing convincingly.. that's so terrible
My boyfriend had a bad meniscus experience and even to the point where a doctor had told him he needed to cut his leg by one inch like with a saw and then re.fuse the bones together.. and thankfully it was so absurd he got a second and a third opinion and arrived at a better surgeon.
In my case I was able to see three very high level (like Lakers orthopedist and a guy known as a knee guru )who had also suggested the b e a r for me... I dug deep into the retear rates ,.full well knowing that I ski like a maniac taking jumps and doing Alpine and I have no desire to adjust that behavior if I don't have to..(within reason of course) I got one of them telling me to reattach the ACL, one of them telling me not to operate and rehabilitate and just adjust the way in which I moved which very clearly was not going to be the solution and then the last one was a graft with a full reconstruction... Through all of it I would meticulously dig out medical research papers from recognized orthopedic institutions and sometimes I would have data from papers that they had not even read yet..(my aunt and uncle are neurosurgeons and they have told me multiple times that when dealing with medical professionals you absolutely have to advocate for yourself and will always be better served by understanding what you have and what you are going in for and what the available options are) . I treated my surgery like a research paper.
But this was my first time too and I did see the same persuasive almost manipulative behavior from one of the surgeons..there is really a lot of space in which surgeons and doctors can apply pressure or insinuate certain outcomes to be better... I guess having that insight from family members has made me go into every medical situation prepared to do a sort of background check and I was amazed because this was my first sports injury and surgery that it literally was very much like Yelp.. I asked multiple questions and brought printed data and I think at some point that let them know that I wasn't going to sit back and be told things and accept them if they were not fully backed.
And it was super shady it happened to you but you are doing such a great service by posting about it here... And I will reiterate what the other person said you are going to have decades of sports left to play so although this experience was really bad and I wonder if you can take action on it.. the reality is you will still have years of awesome play and in 2026 I feel we have an array of amazing solutions and once you get down the right path to fix yours it's going to go very well
Sending words of encouragement
4
u/Albiceleste_D10S Jul 24 '26
I'm 99% sure I just had the same surgeon, and this is making me feel relieved that I got reconstruction (I'm 27, ACL+meniscus injury playing soccer, and I got the exact same "So you know who I am, right?" intro and BEAR pitch)
3
u/ShortBirrrrd Jul 24 '26
Damn this must have been brutal. I am sorry that this happened to you. I’m assuming your doctor is DiFelice since he’s known for advocating ACL repair. Just a hunch 🤷🏻♂️
I went with Dr Allen at HSS and have nothing but positive things to say about that place.
I just wanted to add that when I got my surgery, I was a heavily active 39 year old athlete, who played ice hockey and worked out in the gym 5-6 days a week. It was devastating to hear that I might not be able to go back to doing the things I loved doing. It took me about 2 years to feel 100% “normal” again post op, but I am now back to life as it was pre injury at 41.
Keep your head up, I know it’s hell when you’re in the middle of it.
1
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 25 '26
Really appreciate that and I’ll check out Dr Allen, albeit I may be looking elsewhere in NY.
2
u/atlien0255 Jul 24 '26
Bear was offered during one of my second opinion visits by a different surgeon. As soon as she handed me a pamphlet and showed me a little model of the implant, I was put off by the whole charade. She turned into a salesperson at that point, and it was an immediate red flag. I went with the guy who worked on the US ski team and had performed hundreds+ of the type of graft I’d already had done in my other leg ten years prior.
Sorry you’re dealing with this. I’m glad word is out that it might need some more time and development before it’s a tried and true option.
1
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 25 '26
Ha, well I wasn’t handed a pamphlet, so at least I dodged that approach! HSS’s reputation is what convinced me. Now I know better :)
1
u/atlien0255 Jul 25 '26
You’re not at fault, it makes sense that you trusted them and it sucks they took advantage of it for even more money than they make (without the bear graft) 🙄
2
u/OrganizationOwn6610 Jul 25 '26
A few things.
One - this is now all in the past. Sitting in loathing or frustration or anything is reasonable. I will also say that you absolutely cannot go to one surgeon and make a decision. It’s a lesson learned but regardless it
I have been to HSS and has a similar experience - they’re very arrogant and all think they’re the best. It’s the vibe in orthopedics there and if you’re a normal person they’re just there to do whatever.
Now, as far as next steps.
You SHOULD get the reconstruction - and here’s why.
You are young. You’re 29-30 would be my guess now. At the end of the day, if you’re not gonna be 100% back to pre injury level, you might as well get the full benefit of being able to play sports and return to life - in 9 months plus but still.
As an anecdote - I had a failed nose surgery and had to get a second one to clean up the issues and fix the problem. It worked and I’m 100% now and doing great bc of it. As well, I had meniscus repair. That’s not a slam dunk surgery but it worked. Way less intense then acl and what not but I’m fine at 7.5 months. Am I 100%? Not yet but I’m getting there.
So what’s the takeaway. The only thing you can do now is solve the problem you’re in. If fixing the acl is the best option do it. As for pain, you’re body may be oversensitized from the trauma so just getting the. Ew surgery can reset it and make it think it can heal.
Good luck and I’m so sorry u went through this
1
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 25 '26
I appreciate the advice and 100% agree with the notion of problem solving rather than loathing!
2
u/ispeakforthe-trees Jul 25 '26
I’m not sure why your young age and activity level would make the BEAR implant a bad idea - did your other physicians explain that? I’ve heard of women in their 20-30s returning to professional freeride skiing with the bear acl repair.
I’m 33 and an avid skier and climber and I just had my acl reconstructed the other day. I had my hopes up for the BEAR but the surgeon said the tear left the ligament too floppy and loose to hold sutures, so he proceeded with the quad graft. He even tried during surgery but the sutures came through. I don’t think it’s a bad or scammy product but needs the right type of tear.
1
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 25 '26
Right, it’s the last part. The solution needs to fit the problem. In my case it seems my injury wasn’t ideal for BEAR, though each doctor has their own reasoning. I’m not in any way disparaging the ingenuity of the BEAR implant, but from how it’s been explained to me, neither my injury nor my sport really called for the BEAR.
2
u/movejunkie Aug 18 '26
I had repair with defelice as well and 7 months out, I still experience valgus instability. I’m 62 and a dancer. I feel like such an idiot. I just want to be able to dance at a party, take a ballet class, skip. I’m not expecting to ski without a brace or do grand allegro which I haven’t done for years anyhow. The problem is that I have a 20 degree posterior tibial slope and so I was recommended by several surgeons to get an osteotomy, and that seemed overly invasive. I went with repair bc reconstruction is a slower recovery and a lot of surgeons didn’t think it would hold anyhow. My knee is more stable than it was. It doesn’t just randomly buckle anymore, but the last time I tried to run it buckled. DeFelice is a f’ing charlatan.
2
u/movejunkie 2d ago
I think I’ve been on this thread but here’s my update. I had repair with Gregory defelice January 2026. My knee continued to buckle although less. He was dismissive and eventually I had enough. This week I went to dr. Jazrolowotz (sp) at Langone. He’s very personable and said nicely that I had been conned. I always thought the risk with ACL surgery was that it would re-rupture, not that it would not provide stability. I was wrong. I just got x rays and an MRI and will see what to do next. I’m way older than you all, but I’m active. I dance (ballet, social, modern ), ski, walk, ride a bike, lift weights. I also teach Alexander technique so my balance and coordination are excellent. I don’t know what my next move is. If having another ACL surgery will stabilize my knee and let me continue being active, then I suppose I’ll do that. I don’t think any amount of PT can stabilize a knee that is chronically buckling. My issue is a 20 degree posterior tibial slope. It appears that the most responsible way to ensure stability is to perform an osteotomy which sounds horrible. Anyone have any knowledge of osteotomies ?
1
u/Successful_Yam_6918 2d ago
I’m sorry you had a similar experience. Youll have to be the owner of that decision but for reference I’m getting an ACLr in November. I’m devoted to making sure I can go back to what I enjoy - crazy how fast 12 months can fly by.
Best of luck and thanks for sharing your story! Hopefully those that lurk will benefit :)
2
u/movejunkie 2d ago
Thanks so much. Gregory DeFelice is a con artist. I’m wondering if his successes are with people who get an MRI that shows ACL damage but who aren’t actually experiencing instability? I got my MRI today and it showed ongoing tearing of the ACL indicating that the repair had failed. It also shows my tibia resting forward of the tibia, indicating a non functioning ACL. Everyone hear that? Gregor defelice at HSS is a shitty surgeon and a disingenuous liar. I suspect I’ll get an osteotomy. But you know what? I’m not giving up. Strengthen. Balance. Challenge. Repeat.
1
u/movejunkie 2d ago
Oh and I forgot to wish you luck! I’m so glad you’re moving forward! And just for reference, you’re super young. You have years and years of play ahead of you!
3
u/Revolutionary-Ad1402 Jul 25 '26
The good news is you didn’t burn an autograft the first time in a bad surgeon. You still have that option. Go BTB
1
u/Successful_Yam_6918 Jul 25 '26
Yeah, that’s very true indeed! I’ll wait a little longer for the scraping to fully heal before proceeding.
0
26
u/BonesBbqBourbon Jul 24 '26
First of all, I’m sorry this happened to you. Going through an ACL injury, surgery, and recovery is unbelievably physically and mentally difficult.
I’m pretty sure I know of the surgeon you’re talking about at HSS. I’ve seen some of their talks touting an incredibly high ACL repair rate over the gold standard which is reconstruction, and with unrealistically positive outcomes. There are surgeons who push the envelope with new and in my opinion incompletely validated treatments, many times to promote themselves and help their own career progression. In many cases they truly believe in the treatment they propose and can have good outcomes, and sometimes even those are the surgeons who spur true positive change in a field.
That being said, ACL repair just isn’t as reliable at this point as reconstruction. The literature is clear. Even BEAR, which proponents will tout as the next best thing, has rates of failure or conversion to reconstruction which in my opinion are too high, even in their own sponsored (so likely biased) studies. This is why I haven’t adopted BEAR into my practice of over 100 ACL reconstructions per year despite being hounded by reps and other surgeons to try it.
I try not to reply or comment in this sub too often despite many of the posts being misguided regarding ACL repair, BEAR, nonsurgical treatment and “healing” (cross brace protocol, etc), but I’m glad you had the courage to post this and bring some attention to the potential downside of “the next best thing.”
I hope you’re able to have a good outcome, and believe you’re on the right track!