Torn your ACL?
You may be able to save it — not replace it.
STARR repairs your own living ligament instead of cutting it out and replacing it with a graft. But it only works while the tissue is still healthy — and that window is measured in weeks.
You may have more options
than you've been told.
Replacement is the last resort — never the first. We treat the knee as a spectrum, and our role is to give you clarity, evidence, and a path that preserves what you have for as long as possible.
Preserve
Protect what’s still there — targeted treatment that keeps the joint working.
Repair
Fix the specific damage — a torn ACL or meniscus. Timing matters most here.
You are hereRegenerate
Rebuild tissue with advanced biological techniques, available only here.
Replace
When alternatives are exhausted, restore function — only after exploring every option.
Why save the ligament
you were born with?
Traditional ACL reconstruction cuts out the torn ligament and replaces it with a graft harvested from your own hamstring, patella or quad tendon. It works — but it permanently removes healthy tissue and the nerves that tell your brain where your knee is in space.
"When the tissue is still viable, repairing your own ACL preserves its blood supply, its nerves and its natural mechanics. There may be options worth exploring before a replacement."
No graft, no donor-site pain
STARR repairs your native ligament, so your hamstring stays untouched — no permanent strength deficit from harvesting a tendon.
Proprioception protected
Preserving the ACL retains its nerves, keeping your brain’s spatial awareness of the knee intact for sport.
Lower long-term risk
Joint-preserving repair maintains natural kinematics and is associated with a reduced risk of arthritis over time.
A repair is only possible
while the window is open
Saving a native ACL depends on timing. Once the unattached ligament resorbs, a repair is no longer possible — so the clock starts the moment you're injured.
Tissue is still vascular and strong enough to hold sutures — the best possible conditions for STARR.
STARR still gives good results, provided the native tissue hasn’t severely retracted. A scan now is time-critical.
Native ligament tissue begins to resorb. An urgent MRI is the only way to know if repair is still possible.
STARR is rarely advised. Prof. Lee can review your scan and discuss muscle-preserving allograft reconstruction.
A 2-minute, no-obligation check — built on a clinically-validated knee screen — shows how much of your window is left.
An X-ray can't diagnose an ACL tear
X-rays only check for broken bones. Waiting for the knee to "settle down" wastes vital time inside the repair window. A high-resolution MRI is the only way to confirm whether your ligament can still be saved — and we can arrange a same-day scan in London or Lincolnshire.
Repair & regenerate —
instead of replace
STARR — Suture-Tape Augmented Ruptured-ACL Repair — treats your ACL as a living organ. It realigns your own torn fibres, braces them with high-strength tape, and wraps the repair in a regenerative scaffold. Developed and performed exclusively by Professor Paul Lee.
An internal brace, instantly
Ultra-strong suture tape restores mechanical stability the moment it’s placed — shielding the healing ligament and allowing safe, protected early weight-bearing.
A scaffold for healing
A bioengineered collagen scaffold bridges the tear, interacting with your own blood and fluids to create the ideal microenvironment for cells to rebuild.
Your own living ligament
Preserving the native ACL keeps its nerves and blood supply intact — protecting proprioception, your body’s natural sense of where your knee is in space.
Minimally invasive, arthroscopic, and home the same afternoon.
Read the full STARR explainer
Professor Paul Lee
MBBCh · MRCS · MSc · PhD · FEBOT · FRCS (Tr&Orth)
An internationally recognised authority bridging surgical precision and regenerative medicine — and the surgeon who developed the STARR technique.
No delegation
Prof. Lee personally conducts your consultation, reviews your imaging, performs the surgery and oversees recovery.
Regenerative pioneer
Decades of work on the body’s capacity to heal, applied to joint preservation.
Visiting Professor
Shaping the future of sports medicine and regenerative science.
Trusted by athletes
Relied upon by active patients and sportspeople to protect their careers.
From first call to full strength
A clear, safe route designed to protect your repair window at every step.
Discovery call
A free, 15-minute logistical call with a patient coordinator to map your timeline and arrange a scan. Non-medical, no pressure.
Same-day MRI
High-resolution imaging in London or Lincolnshire confirms whether your ACL can still be saved.
Consultation
A 30-minute medical consultation: Prof. Lee reviews your scan and confirms whether STARR is right for you.
Repair & recovery
Day-case surgery, then a brace-protected start, progressive physiotherapy, and return-to-sport testing around month 6.
Your ACL is worth saving.
If a repair is possible, it's the only way to truly protect your own ligament — but every day counts toward your window. Start with a 2-minute check, then let us help you move quickly.