3D anatomical figure mid-stride with the knee joint highlighted

The only UK clinic offering STARR ACL repair

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.

Check if your ACL is repairable Book a free discovery call

66 Harley StreetCQC-regulatedSame-day MRI — London & Lincs

A spectrum of choices

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 here

Regenerate

Rebuild tissue with advanced biological techniques, available only here.

Replace

When alternatives are exhausted, restore function — only after exploring every option.

The clinical reality

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."

3D anatomy of a runner with the knee ligament highlighted

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.

The ticking clock

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.

Gold standard

0–6 weeks

Tissue is still vascular and strong enough to hold sutures — the best possible conditions for STARR.

Window open

6 weeks–3 months

STARR still gives good results, provided the native tissue hasn’t severely retracted. A scan now is time-critical.

Closing fast

3–6 months

Native ligament tissue begins to resorb. An urgent MRI is the only way to know if repair is still possible.

Beyond repair

6 months +

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.

Check my repair window

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.

The STARR technique

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.

Physics

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.

Chemistry

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.

Biology

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.

Reconstruction

STARR repair

The ligament

Cut out & discarded

Preserved & re-tensioned

Graft needed

Hamstring / donor tissue

None — no donor-site pain

Proprioception

Permanently lost

Fully protected

Stability

Relies on graft in tunnels

Immediate internal brace

Biology

None

Augmented regenerative scaffold

Day-case · 60–90 min

Minimally invasive, arthroscopic, and home the same afternoon.

Read the full STARR explainer

Originator of STARR

The only place in the UK you can have a STARR ACL repair.

The surgeon-scientist

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.

Book a consultation Check if your ACL is repairable

The pathway

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.

Start with a 2-minute check Book a free discovery call

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.

Check if your ACL is repairable Book a discovery call

90%+

Return to sport

Harley St.

CQC-regulated

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