Knee arthroscopy is one of the most common orthopedic surgeries in the United States. Nearly 750,000 surgeries are performed each year, and it’s available at Preva Surgicare - Surgery Center Of The Woodlands. Our team performs arthroscopic knee procedures as an outpatient procedure in our office.
If you’re struggling with knee pain, our exceptional orthopedic surgeons encourage you to book an appointment so we can help you get the relief you deserve.
In the meantime, we’ve created this guide to highlight what knee arthroscopy is and when you might benefit from it.
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure designed to both diagnose and treat problems in joints, such as your shoulder or knee. As the name suggests, knee arthroscopy refers to these procedures specially performed on your knee joint. As with any surgery or procedure, it’s important to proceed only when the benefits of surgery outweigh the cons -- so when should you consider arthroscopy? Knee arthroscopy may be recommended to help pinpoint the cause of your knee pain, but it may also be recommended to treat that condition as well.
Knee arthroscopy may be used to diagnose several different knee injuries, including:
Arthroscopy can also help diagnose Baker’s cysts, loose pieces of torn cartilage in your joint, and swollen linings in the joint (synovium).
Arthroscopic knee surgery isn’t just a diagnostic tool. Depending on what’s causing your pain, your surgeon may be able to repair the problem. This includes:
As a minimally invasive procedure, these repairs are conducted through a small incision. The arthroscope, which contains a camera, allows your surgeon to see inside your knee. Special surgical tools are inserted through a small incision. This eliminates the need for a traditional, open surgery. Arthroscopic surgeries provide many benefits including faster recoveries, less bleeding, reduced risk of infection, and minimal scarring.
Now that we’ve covered what knee arthroscopy does, how do you if it’s right for you? Here are three reasons why you might benefit from this surgery:
If you have knee pain, you’ll receive a variety of imaging tests. This may include MRI and/or X-rays. However, even with these images, your surgeon may need more information before moving forward with any treatment plan. Arthroscopy can confirm what’s causing the pain as well as the extent of the damage. During your procedure, your surgeon makes a small incision, just big enough to allow the tiny camera into your knee. The images are relayed in real time. This can, for example, show that not only is your meniscus torn, but how severe the tear is.
Arthroscopic surgery can eliminate the need for a more invasive surgery and a lengthy hospital stay. During the surgery, small incisions arthroscope and tiny surgical tools into the area as needed. Using the images from the arthroscope as a guide, torn ligaments, torn or damaged meniscus, loose bone fragments can be addressed.
Conservative treatments, including physical therapy or knee injections, can sometimes postpone or eliminate the need for surgery. However, if you’ve already tried conservative options but are still in pain, you might benefit from surgery.
If knee pain is holding you back, call our The Woodlands, Texas office at 281-377-3706 or request an appointment online.
