Savannah Knighton, MAL, LAT, ATC, OTC, one of our athletic trainers and research coordinators at Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute, presented at the 2026 ATPPS (Athletic Trainers in the Physician Practice Society) Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio this past week.
Her presentation, “Moving Beyond the ACL: The Role of Rotatory Knee Stabilizers on ACL Injuries and Treatment,” addressed one of the most clinically important and underappreciated topics in ACL surgery: rotatory knee instability and the structures that control it.
Three Critical Factors for Rotatory Stability
ACL reconstruction gets the headline, but long-term outcomes depend heavily on the secondary stabilizers of the knee. Savannah presented the three critical factors our team evaluates when addressing rotatory instability:
Meniscus status, including both medial and lateral meniscal root integrity, plays a fundamental role as a secondary stabilizer of the ACL-reconstructed knee. The anterolateral complex, including the anterolateral ligament, contributes to rotational control and is increasingly recognized as a key factor in preventing residual pivot shift after reconstruction. Posterior tibial slope influences the biomechanics of the ACL graft and is an important consideration in patients with recurrent instability.
Loop and Tack LET Technique with All Suture Anchors
Savannah also presented our Loop and Tack lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) technique with all suture anchors, a procedure we use in select patients with persistent or high-risk rotatory instability. This technique addresses the anterolateral component of knee stability and is part of our comprehensive approach to ACL treatment.
Outstanding Athletic Trainers in Orthopaedics
Savannah is a residency-trained athletic trainer and one of the hardest-working, most intelligent clinicians on our team at Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute. She is a great example of the caliber of athletic trainers working across orthopaedics and sports medicine today. When ATs are embedded in a physician practice setting and given the opportunity to engage at this level, the entire care team benefits. Presentations like this one show the depth of knowledge athletic trainers bring to the table, and I could not be prouder of the work Savannah is doing.
Authors: Savannah K. Knighton, MAL, LAT, ATC, OTC and Jeremy M. Burnham, MD
Conference: ATPPS 2026 Annual Conference, March 5-7, 2026, Cincinnati, OH
Jeremy Burnham, MD is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He specializes in ACL reconstruction, meniscus preservation, and complex knee injuries.