Arthroscopy is a fairly common procedure that allows a knee doctor to take a close look at the inside of a patients' knee and understand exactly what is happening that is causing the problem.
High-resolution cameras, and equally high-definition monitors, have come along in recent years and turned arthroscopy into a very effective tool for solving problems with your knee. Each year, nearly four million of them are performed, with the vast majority being pleased with the results.
What Is An Arthroscopy?
To perform an arthroscopy, your knee surgeon will make a few small incisions and use them to insert an arthroscope, which is where the procedure gets its name from. An image of what the camera sees is broadcast to the monitor that the doctor is watching. While inside of your knee joint, the knee pain doctor will have the ability to touch, repair, or remove any damaged tissue that is causing pain. That requires the insertion of additional tools, but the same small incisions are used.
Preparation For An Arthroscopy
Getting ready to have this procedure done primarily involves tests and being open with your doctor. A complete examination is often required and you will need to disclose any supplements or prescription medications that you are taking at the time. Some will have to be ceased before you go in for the surgery.
Having An Arthroscopy
When your knee surgeon decides to perform the knee treatment ie; arthroscopy, you will have to be sure that you don't have any food or drinks after midnight on the night before the procedure. It is also important that you arrive at least an hour early to make sure that you are prepared for the surgery and have had time to complete all of the paperwork and preparations.
You will be talked to by an anesthesia team before you go under and they can tell you more about what they will be using in your case. The three types, general, regional, and local, will differ according to what your own needs are and how extensive they think the procedure will be.
The procedure itself involves using the latest technology. After making the small incisions that will be used to insert tools, a sterile solution will fill your joint to get rid of any excess cloudy fluid and they will be able to see your joint in its entirety.
The first thing that your knee pain specialist will do upon entering is diagnosed the specific problem that you are facing. Once they have assessed the problem, other instruments, such as lasers, motorized shavers, or scissors, will be inserted to solve it. More often than not, it is a thirty-minute to an hour-long procedure that can be used for removing inflamed synovial tissue, reconstructing a torn ligament, repairing and removing cartilage, or trimming off pieces of the articular cartilage that might be causing problems.
Once the procedure has been completed, the knee specialist will simply cover the incisions with a bandage and send you home in just a couple of hours.
