NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — It's a phrase most athletes never want to hear: ACL reconstruction. However, New Mexico just had its first operation for a new procedure that could mean better success and recovery on and off the field.

Whether it's on the court, on the grid iron, or on the pitch, a torn ACL can often mean the end of a season, or in extreme cases, the end of a promising career. "What we've had problems with in times past were ACL repairs wouldn't heal themselves," said westside Lovelace Hospital Orthopedic Surgeon Tania Pence, who is quite familiar with the injury and the problems that can arise in post-op.

A typical ACL reconstruction involves a graft, using either part of a patient's own tissue or tissue from a deceased donor. "There are always issues, unfortunately, when you're, ta

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