My 11 year old daughter (now 12) had ACL reconstruction last year & I did plenty of research. We also got lucky because there is a surgeon here who does a special surgery using the IT Band and going around the knee rather than through to avoid the growth plate. BTW, it has been just over a year and she is doing great!
Here is what I learned:
1) the surgery is rather routine now.
2) here in Columbus, we have some of the best surgeons.
3) the other/healthy knee graft is controversial but highly recommended due to the fact you'll be rehabbing both knees together and building equal strength.
Good luck. It is a big deal but you'll recover. The best advice we got was to do as much strength training and exercises we could before surgery to help with the rehab. She was the quickest they'd ever saw recover from her type of surgery.
You could be back in action in 4-6 months.
I don't want to worry you, but the IT Band knee reconstruction is not regarded as a particularly successful knee reconstruction option. I had my left knee reconstructed using the Illio Tibial Band method (the IT Band is split in two with one part crossing through the knee to act as a fake ACL) and mine lasted well for 6 years. My knee felt completely stable until one night I planted my left foot to hit a backhand, and as I followed through and opened my shoulders the knee gave way again.
When I eventually had my knee reconstructed again, I asked the surgeon why my knee had collapsed again. He said that they no longer performed the ITB method as they had found that illio tibial bands acting as an ACL tend to stretch over time and no longer remain tight enough to keep the femur from momentarily dislocating from the tibia (which is what happens when the ACL ruptures).
My second reconstruction used the middle third of the patella tendon and has been completely successful. Took 6 months of rehab to get the full use of the knee back, but probably another year to get my confidence back that I could rely on it being completely stable. I had the second reconstruction done in 1995 so its been 18 years since then and although I have a little pain and stiffness, I was still playing up until Feb this year when tennis elbow struck me down. All up I have had 2 reconstructions on my left knee as well as 6 arthroscopies on it to trim meniscus and debride osteo-arthritis and have had 2 arthroscopies on my right knee as well.
The fact that your daughter is young may really assist with the ITB method being successful for her as the whole growth process of her body may well add additional strength to the ITB running through the joint. I was 29 when I first ruptured my ACL and perhaps it can add comfort to you and others that 2 reconstructions and multiple arthroscopies later I've still got reasonably pain free, stable and functional knees now at 59.
I wish you the best. aussie