ACL Reconstruction: understanding your implant options

Most of the implants used in ACL, meniscus and rotator cuff surgery are small: anchors, buttons, screws, suture and suture tape, plus the arthroscopy equipment itself. Sports medicine is one of the most consolidated parts of orthopedics. One industry analysis says Arthrex and Smith+Nephew account for more than half of all sports medicine sales, and the top four companies control about 80%. (ORTHOWORLD, ORTHOWORLD market share.)

For most people, the surgeon's skill, the graft or repair technique and rehab matter far more than the brand of anchor. It's still fair to ask what your surgeon uses and why.

Grafts usually come from your own body (hamstring, patellar or quadriceps tendon) or from a tissue bank. The devices below hold the graft in place or, in newer approaches, help your own ACL heal.

Listing a company or product is not an endorsement, and no company pays to be listed. This list may be incomplete. Compiled November 2026 from FDA records, company pages and trade press.