Dr. Gregory DiFelice: The ACL Preservation Method and the Case for ACL Repair, Part 1

In this episode of the Brawn Body Health and Fitness Podcast, Dan is joined by Dr. Gregory DiFelice to discuss his preservation method and the case for ACL repair instead of reconstruction. Dr. Gregory S. DiFelice is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in Sports Traumatology and Joint Reconstruction Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He also holds an academic appointment at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University as an Associate Attending Orthopedic Surgeon. His main surgical focus is on the treatment of the knee, shoulder, and hip. Using both non-surgical and surgical methods, he strives to utilize the latest technologies to improve patient outcomes, while preserving their native tissues. He refers to his customized approach as Preservation First, and this guides his practice. His philosophy, developed over 20+ years in practice, is to use surgery as a last resort, and if surgery is absolutely necessary, to perform the most conservative surgery that will give the best, most long-lasting results for the patient. This delicate balancing of the risks and benefits of surgery for each individual is, in essence, the art of surgery. Dr. DiFelice is a surgical innovator and has developed several cutting-edge surgical techniques that allow him to save a patients’ torn ligaments, rather than replacing them, which is the current standard of care. His approach is called ligament preservation and includes conservative, minimally invasive techniques such as primary repair and primary repair with augmentation. By saving the patients’ native ligament tissues, he greatly reduces surgical injury to the patient, and thus diminishes the recovery time and restores more of the natural function of the knee. Currently, for 50% to 75% of his ACL injured patients, he is able to save most, if not all, of the patients’ native tissue, thereby diminishing the need for grafts. He uses ACL reconstruction – the replacing of the torn ligament with a graft, which is considered the standard of care throughout the world – only as a last resort when there is little or no native tissue available to save. As the surgical innovator of his modern-day preservation approach, he has published and lectured extensively, both domestically and internationally, on this and other topics. For more on Dr. DiFelice, be sure to check out @drdifelice on Instagram , https://gregorysdifelicemd.com/ and https://difelicefoundation.org/ Episode Sponsors: MoboBoard: BRAWNBODY10 saves 10% at checkout! AliRx: DBraunRx = 20% off at checkout! https://alirx.health/ MedBridge: https://www.medbridgeeducation.com/brawn-body-training or Coupon Code "BRAWN" for 40% off your annual subscription! CTM Band: https://ctm.band/collections/ctm-band coupon code "BRAWN10" = 10% off! PurMotion: "brawn" = 10% off!! GOT ROM: https://www.gotrom.com/a/3083/5X9xTi8k Red Light Therapy through Hooga Health: hoogahealth.com coupon code "brawn" = 12% off Ice shaker affiliate link: https://www.iceshaker.com?sca_ref=1520881.zOJLysQzKe Training Mask: "BRAWN" = 20% off at checkout https://www.trainingmask.com?sca_ref=2486863.iestbx9x1n Make sure you SHARE this episode with a friend who could benefit from the information we shared! Check out everything Dan is up to, including blog posts, fitness programs, and more by clicking here: https://linktr.ee/brawnbodytraining Liked this episode? Leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform!