How much does ACL reconstruction cost privately in the UK? (2026)

A private ACL reconstruction replaces a torn anterior cruciate ligament with a graft, usually from the hamstring or patellar tendon, and is chosen by people who want to return to pivoting sport or have an unstable knee.

Several UK hospital groups publish guide prices on their websites. In the listings we retrieved, ACL reconstruction ran from £7,500 to £9,280, depending on the hospital, the variant listed and what that provider counts in its price. The table shows each entry as published.

Because each provider defines its package differently, the cheapest figure in a list is not automatically the best value. Compare what each includes before you compare totals.

Under general anaesthetic the surgeon takes a graft, passes it through tunnels in the thigh and shin bones and fixes it, using a camera and small cuts. You often go home the same day or next, with the knee in a brace.

Rehabilitation is as important as the surgery. Ask who will supervise it, how many sessions are included and what the plan is if progress stalls.

The headline figure hides several moving parts. In the case of ACL reconstruction, the following tend to decide where a quote lands.

• Graft choice: hamstring, patellar tendon or donor graft differ in cost, and donor tissue is a notable extra.

• Associated procedures: meniscal repair or other ligament work done at the same time raises the price.

• Hospital: published ACL prices in the lists we retrieved ran from £7,500 at Edinburgh to £9,280 at Duchy.

• Rehabilitation: structured physiotherapy for around nine months is the largest ongoing cost.

• Consultant, anaesthetist and implant fees such as fixation devices.

A fixed price is only as useful as its small print. Here is how the common items tend to divide between included and extra.

Insurers usually cover ACL reconstruction when clinically justified, though some limit physiotherapy sessions, which can leave a gap.

Insured patients should confirm the benefit limit, the excess and whether the consultant is on the insurer list. Self-funders can compare a fixed package price against an itemised estimate, and ask whether credit is available.

NHS ACL reconstruction is offered according to activity levels and instability after assessment, and waits for elective knee surgery vary locally.

If you are weighing private against NHS care, remember that NHS referral gives you a right to choose a provider in England and an 18-week standard for non-urgent treatment. Check current waits in your area before deciding.

Expect crutches for a short period, then months of structured rehabilitation; return to pivoting sport is typically measured in many months, and time away from physical work may be extended.

Ask your provider to explain, in writing if possible, what is covered if the course of care changes.

• Re-rupture, stiffness or persistent instability can happen and would need further treatment; ask what is covered if you need revision.

• Return to sport takes many months, and incomplete rehabilitation raises the risk of re-injury, so budget for physiotherapy.

Ask each provider for an itemised written estimate, then put them side by side. These questions are specific to this procedure.

• Which graft is quoted, and what would a different graft cost?

• Is meniscal work included if it is needed?

• How many physiotherapy sessions are included over the recovery?

• What would revision surgery cost?

• Is the consultant fee, anaesthetist fee and hospital fee shown separately, and are any of them estimated rather than fixed?