Cruciate Ligament Repair Procedures Market: Current Analysis and Forecast (2023-2030)

Cruciate ligaments, also known as cruciform ligaments are conventionally a pair of ligaments that are arranged in a X pattern or cross pattern and integrate the bones of the knees. In the cruciate ligament repair procedure, a surgical tissue graft is used to replace injured cruciate muscles. The most widely used grafts for the surgical procedure are autografts, which use a portion of the patient's body, such as one of the hamstring tendons. The rising prevalence of knee injuries due to sports and recreational activities globally represents one of the key factors driving the market. For instance, in 2022, as per the report by the National Safety Council (NSC), sports and recreational injuries in the U.S. increased by 20% in 2021 and increased another 12% in 2022 while a record-low number of sports and recreational injuries were reported in 2020. Also, in 2022, the NSC reported that exercise equipment accounted for nearly 409,000 injuries in the U.S. in 2021, most of any sports and recreation category. The ligament tears in the knees and elbows are the most common injuries during exercise. Several other factors are responsible for propelling this market, like the surge in healthcare expenditure, availability of skilled professionals, and continuous investment by leading companies in research and development activities. Such factors have helped cruciate ligament repair procedures to substantially gain prevalence in the market.

The Cruciate Ligament Repair Procedures Market is expected to grow at a strong CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period due to the rising pharmaceutical investment in the development of cruciate ligament repair procedures owing to which pharmaceutical companies are deeply engrossed in developing efficient orthopedic tools to maintain a competitive edge in the global market. For instance, a UK-based medical equipment manufacturing company, Smith+Nephew, launched the UltraTRAC QUAD ACL Reconstruction Technique in March 2023. This technique consists of a first integrated guide for minimally invasive quadriceps graft harvesting called QuadTrac Quadriceps Tendon Harvest Guide System which provides direct tendon visualization while enabling a controlled and reproducible technique to harvest. Several other factors, increase in the geriatric population, initiatives for research and development activities, promising product pipeline and technological advancements, and increased incidences of anterior cruciate ligament are driving the growth of the market during the forecast period. For instance, in May 2022, according to the National Library of Medicine anterior cruciate ligament injuries (ACL) were the most commonly injured ligament in the knee area. The incidence of ACL is nearly 1 in 3,500 people annually in the U.S. The significant surge in the number of cruciate ligament injury cases is expected to impact the market over the forecast period positively.

Based on procedures, the market is bifurcated into anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) repair. The anterior cruciate ligament repair segment held the dominant share of the market in the year 2022 owing to the rising participation in sports activities, and prevalence of minimally invasive surgical techniques. ACL repair is a form of surgical procedure adopted to restore the function of the anterior cruciate ligament after an injury. It is a tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament which is located in the knee. An increasing number of ACL injuries is supposed to drive the dominance of anterior cruciate ligament repair procedures in the market. For instance, in January 2022 the report published by Annals of Joint mentioned that anterior cruciate ligament injuries are a prominent issue in the field of sports medicine, especially for female athletes. Thus, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair segment held the dominant share of the market in the year 2022.

By application, the market is segmented into osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, and others. The osteoarthritis segment is anticipated to grow with significant CAGR during the forecast period majorly due to the rising prevalence of osteoarthritis in the geriatric population, and increasing clinical research. For instance, in October 2021, the World Health Organisation predicted that by 2030, one in every six people globally would be 60 years or older. Also, the global population of people aged 60 and up will be doubled to 2.1 billion by 2050. This is leading to an increased need to discover effective treatment options for this aging population. Thus, amongst applications, the osteoarthritis segment is expected to grow with a high CAGR during the forecast period.

On the basis of end-users, the market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and others. The hospital segment held a significant share of the market in 2022 attributed to the advancement of their healthcare infrastructure, and medical equipment, increasing orthopedic specialized doctors and surgeons, and rising surgical procedures throughout the world. For instance, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported in April 2021 that more than 100,000 ACL repair procedures were conducted annually in the U.S. Thus, the hospitals segment held a significant share of the market in 2022.

For a better understanding of the market adoption of cruciate ligament repair procedures, the market is analyzed based on its worldwide presence in countries such as North America (U.S., Canada, Rest of North America), Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Rest of World. APAC is expected to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Several factors, such as a rising patient pool, rising research and development activities, and a rising geriatric population in Southeast Asian countries are driving the regional market growth. For instance, as per the reports from the United Nations in December 2020, the geriatric population in China is estimated to rise to 330 million in 2050 from 100 million in 2005. Countries such as India and China offer attractive investment opportunities for the cruciate ligament repair procedures market and are anticipated to positively drive demand prospects for the market. There are bulky investments and collaborations in the APAC region's orthopedic treatment market. These factors would further boost the production of cruciate ligament repair procedures in the APAC region. Thus, APAC is anticipated to grow with a high CAGR during the forecast period.

Some of the major players operating in the market include: Integra LifeSciences; Stryker; Tissue Regenix; Smith and Nephew plc; CONMED Corporation; Zimmer Biomet; DJO, LLC; Medtronic; Arthrex Inc.; Medical Device Business Services, Inc.