Autograft repair of a UCL tear

A UCL tear is a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow, and it is common in people who play sports with lots of throwing. An autograft using your own ligament from elsewhere in your body in order to repair the UCL.

If people play sports with a great deal of throwing, such as baseball, they may tear the ulnar collateral ligament in their elbow. Some ligaments cannot be repaired using the pieces that are already there, and need to have a graft put in to help repair them.

An autograft is a graft from one part of your body to another part. To fix your UCL, the surgeon will take a piece of ligament from another part of your body and put it into your elbow.

You may have to wear a sling after the surgery and you will have some restrictions on what you can do as you heal. You will be do physical therapy to regain strength and range of motion in your elbow.

Physicians who perform autografts for UCL tears

Find a specialist in your location.