LARS chance in time of kneed for Brad FisherQuote:
Records show there were 10 LARS knee reconstructions in Australia in 2006.
Last year, according to the distributor of the product Corin, there were about 750.
This year, the figures will surge further.
"While LARS has been approved for use in Australia for over 10 years, the use of LARS has grown significantly from 2007 onwards," Corin managing director Ross Vallis said.
"Approximately 1500 LARS ligaments were implanted in Australia in 2009.
While there has been high-profile usage of LARS in ACL repair in Australia, only just over a half of these implants in 2009 were for the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)."
Vallis said LARS ligaments have been in use overseas, through Europe and Canada for 18 years and claims more than 40,000 LARS ligaments have been implanted.
It seems we have been slow to catch on in Australia, perhaps for geographical reasons.
Slow to catch up? Do the math Stevens: we've surged ahead of world practice at an alarming rate.
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Yet, despite the LARS revolution, the procedure is yet to be approved by US medical authorities because of fears of the effect of the synthetic implant on patients after five to 10 years down the track.

Quote:
Norsworthy admitted to some added anxiety on Fisher because at 192cm and 86kg, he is a marking player.
Rodan and Malceski are more ground-level runners.
"That's kind of why I'm a little bit nervous about Fish," Norsworthy said.
"There's probably less load on a graft in a smaller player than a tall, marking-type player.
"He's not huge, Fish, but he gets his ball in the air.
He doesn't get in on the ground much.
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"I'm trying to do it only on people who really need it."
