Knee arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure allowing the surgeon to view the knee joint without making large incisions in the skin.
In addition to being a great diagnostic tool, arthroscopy is very useful for treating a wide range of knee injuries.
Arthroscopy can solve knee problems concerning articular cartilage, the meniscus, and ligaments with low postoperative risks and no need for the patient to spend the night in the hospital.
Over 1.77 million arthroscopic surgeries are performed every year, but keep in mind that this number includes other body areas, such as the hip, elbow, shoulder, and foot.
Your surgeon may recommend knee arthroscopy to patients who have recently suffered a serious knee injury or those who struggle with a painful condition that does not respond well to non-invasive treatments such as rest, physical therapy, medication, or injections. This is because knee arthroscopy can greatly relieve pain in the knee joint. Some of the most frequently performed knee arthroscopic procedures include:
Knee arthroscopy can be carried out under local, regional, or general anesthesia. The first numbs just your knee, the second, the entire lower portion of the body, and the last puts the patient to sleep during the whole procedure. The orthopedic surgeon and the anesthesiologist will talk to the patient about which type is the best and which entails the fewest risks.
The orthopedic surgeon makes a few small incisions, known as portals, in the knee. Subsequently, a sterile solution is injected into the knee to fill the knee joint and rinse away any cloudy fluid. This will help the surgeon see the structures inside the knee. They will then insert the arthroscope and use the image projected on the screen to guide it.
Special instruments are inserted through the other incisions during the surgical treatment for tasks such as cutting, grasping, and repairing. In quite a few cases, special devices are used to anchor stitches into bone. Most knee arthroscopy surgeries last for roughly one hour. As for recovery, most people need approximately 6 weeks to recover. If the surgeon repaired damaged tissue, recovery will most likely take longer.