KSU soccer player uses new procedure for ACL injury

After Kennesaw State soccer player Becky Contreras suffered a season-ending knee injury, she elected to undergo surgery to repair it.

Contreras, though, chose to go with something other than the traditional procedure.

The redshirt junior from Dacula went with the developing Bridge Enhanced ACL Restoration (BEAR) Implant.

Described as “marshmallow-sized,” the BEAR Implant restores a torn anterior cruciate ligament by enabling the ligament to heal itself, as opposed to replacing it with a graft from muscle in the leg.

The implant, which is made from proteins, is injected with the patient’s blood and connected to sutures that stabilize the ACL and knee. The implant is then placed between the ends of the ACL.

Eventually, the implant will be absorbed and replaced with native cells, blood vessels and collagen to heal the ACL.

Contreras, a two-time all-ASUN Conference selection, said she injured her knee during a pickup game in December, and it was revealed as multiple knee injuries during an MRI.

“We don’t really know if I made it worse, or if it was a new injury, but that day I was playing pickup, I ended up tearing my ACL, LCL and my meniscus, and I had a sprained PCL and MCL” Contreras said. “I almost blew out my whole knee.”

Dr. Jessica Bilotta of Pinnacle Orthopaedics, who also serves as a physician and surgeon for the Kennesaw State athletic department, has become one of the more recent doctors to use the BEAR Implant, and she was the first in Atlanta to do so.

“(Bilotta) did my first surgery my freshman year of college,” Contreras said. “She started talking to me, and she ended up mentioning this new surgery, the BEAR procedure.”

Along with promoting healing of the torn ACL, the BEAR Implant is an outpatient procedure and has no second wound site that needs to heal due to not using a graft.

Despite being told her recovery was over a month ahead of schedule at her most recent appointment, Contreras and those working with her in her recovery are taking the healing process slow due to the unfamiliarity of the procedure.

“Since not too many people have done it, there’s not that much information,” Contreras said. “For the protocol, it’s very slow because, obviously, no one wants to mess it up.”

Contreras, who has had two other surgeries in her soccer career, said this surgery had many more steps and protocols.

“For my ankle and my other one for my shoulder, it was plain and simple. It was by the book,” Contreras said. “For my knee, we’re taking it as it’s going.”

Contreras said that as more athletes get the BEAR procedure, it will help doctors know more for those who get the implant down the road.

“The more people do it, there’s going to be way more research,” Contreras said. “It’s going to help future athletes and future non-athletes that need to get surgeries like this. It’s way different than the normal thing, and obviously, for me, it’s slow, but later on, it’s not going to be as slow.”

As the Owls look to capture their sixth winning season since 2016, Contreras looks to rejoin the team during the season.

“I’m doing really well right now,” Contreras said. “I’m a month and a half ahead of where I’m needing to be at. I’m doing really well.”