Knee Arthroscopy

Knee arthroscopy is minimally invasive surgery on your knee. That means your surgeon does everything through small incisions. They use a small scope, called an arthroscope, to look inside your knee joint and project images to a screen. They use the screen to operate on your knee through other small incisions.

Orthopedic surgeons use knee arthroscopy to diagnose and treat a wide range of knee injuries and conditions. The method allows them to easily identify and fix issues that might be causing you knee pain, while causing minimal trauma. The small cuts are easier to recover from than traditional knee surgery.

Some of the most common conditions knee arthroscopy treatments include:

• Knee ligament tears (ACL, PCL, MCL or LCL)
• Meniscus tears
• Patellar dislocation or instability
• Knee arthritis (especially rheumatoid arthritis)

What happens before knee scope surgery?

Your healthcare team may instruct you to stop taking certain medications and to stop eating by a certain time leading up to your operation. You can choose what kind of anesthesia you want. You may have:

• Regional anesthesia from the waist down
• General anesthesia to go to sleep

Knee scope surgery is usually an outpatient procedure, so you can plan to go home the same day. Since the anesthesia takes time to wear off, you’ll need to arrange for someone to drive you home.

What happens during arthroscopic knee surgery?

During arthroscopic knee surgery, your surgical team will:

1. Clean your knee and secure it in a stabilizing device that will keep it in the right position.
2. Make a small incision in your knee and pump in saline water to expand it.
3. Inflate a tourniquet to minimize bleeding during surgery.
4. Insert the arthroscope into your knee — a narrow metal tube with a tiny camera on the end.
5. Refer to a screen where the arthroscope will project images to guide the procedure.
6. Make other small incisions in your knee and insert narrow tools to operate through them.
7. Remove inflamed or damaged tissues and loose fragments from your knee joint.
8. Repair or replace injured tissues as needed, using specialized hardware and tools.
9. Close all incisions and wrap your knee in a bandage, then move you to the recovery room.

Most arthroscopy procedures take about an hour. You may spend another hour or two in recovery.

What are the risks and benefits of knee arthroscopy?

Arthroscopic knee surgery typically has fewer complications than open knee surgery. Still, with any surgery, there’s always a small risk of complications during and after. Some of these include:

• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Infections
• Injury to a nerve
• Stiffness after surgery

One risk that’s more specific to knee surgery is that it can contribute to osteoarthritis of the knee. Osteoarthritis develops from cumulative wear and tear on your knee, and surgery adds to this. If you’re at risk of knee osteoarthritis, your doctor might hesitate to recommend elective knee surgery for you.

But in other situations, the benefits of knee arthroscopy may easily outweigh the risks. For diagnostic purposes, arthroscopy provides easy access and risks minimal damage. If you have a knee injury that won’t heal without surgery, knee arthroscopy will make the experience easier and the recovery faster.

What happens after knee arthroscopy?

After you go home, you’ll need to take it easy for a few weeks. You can expect some pain and swelling, which will get better after a few days. Depending on the procedure you had, you may have to wear a knee brace to keep your knee in the right position for healing. You may need to use crutches to walk.

Your healthcare team will explain how to take care of yourself at home, including:

• Pain management: Use the RICE method to reduce pain and swelling during the first few days (rest, ice, compression and elevation). Over-the-counter pain relievers, like NSAIDs, can also help.
• Incision care: You’ll have instructions on how to keep your incision wounds clean, how to shower or bathe safely, how to change your dressing and how to recognize signs of infection.
• Physical therapy: After your incisions have healed, you’ll be ready for the next phase of recovery. A healthcare provider will give you exercises you can practice to rehabilitate your knee.

Knee arthroscopy recovery time

After knee arthroscopy, most people are able to return to their usual activities within six to eight weeks. It might be a little longer before your knee is ready for high-impact activities, like sports or heavy labor. Being diligent with your physical therapy will help to prepare your knee to return to activity safely.

Your recovery time and outcome will also depend on the type of procedure you had and the damage you had to your knee. More severe injuries and surgeries may take longer to recover from. In some cases, you may not be able to return to high-impact activities. Your surgeon can tell you what to expect.

When should I call my healthcare provider after knee arthroscopy?

Call your provider if you have:

• Excessive bleeding from your incisions
• Signs of infection, like fever or drainage
• Worsening pain that you can’t relieve
• Pain in your calf, which could be a sign of a blood clot