Orthoscopic Knee Surgery Procedures

Arthroscopic knee surgery has revolutionized orthopedics. More and more complex and difficult surgeries can be performed now with arthroscopic instruments, avoiding larger incisions and more invasive surgery. The ability to make two or three small incisions and perform the complex operations necessary to fix and heal damaged knees has increased the ability of surgeons to do more in less time and with less down time on the patient's side.

Function

• Arthroscopic knee surgery uses two to three small incisions to insert tools that enable the doctor to see within the knee joint using a camera and a light, that allow the doctor to perform intricate operations and repairs and to keep the risk of infection low. The rate of recovery is fast, as the invasion to the body is minimal and the entry to the joint is as small as possible. By using arthroscopic surgery rather than open surgery, the surgeon has minimized risk and recovery time for the patient. More and more surgeries are now performed arthroscopically, as technology continues to make improvements in the tools surgeons use for their trade.

Features

• Once the incision for the instruments are made, the first tube is placed inside the joint, where a camera with a light will serve as the eyes of the surgeon. The image from the camera is magnified onto a monitor, rather like a video game. The second tube inserted injects the knee full of saline and keeps it full, so the doctor can see the spaces inside the knee. The third is for the instruments that the doctor will use to perform repairs and other needed work within the knee joint itself. The size of an arthroscopic knee surgery repair is minimal on the outside. There are usually three one-inch incisions, sometimes even smaller, made in various spots around the knee joint. Work within the joint can be quite extensive, however, so appearance can be deceptive. The work done by a surgeon within the body can be much more invasive than appearance on the outside.

Significance

• The significance of arthroscopic versus open knee surgery is huge. An open knee surgery presents a much larger window for infection, which can be deadly in a joint. Open knee surgery wipes out the quad muscle for a much longer period of time than the small incisions made for arthroscopic surgery. Pain is much less with the smaller incisions made by the arthroscopic tools. Hospital stays are much shorter, if they are needed at all. Most arthroscopic procedures can be done on an outpatient basis. Recovery is swifter as the body has less area to heal, and scarring is minimal compared to the large scars of open knee surgery. The use of arthroscopic surgery has changed the field of orthopedic surgery dramatically.

Benefits

• Arthroscopic surgery has tremendous advantages over open knee surgery. Smaller incisions make for quicker recovery time and less chance for infection. The ability of the surgeon to perform complex procedures with smaller instruments makes the surgery less invasive, and less damaging to surrounding tissues and muscle. Anytime you lessen the overall stress or invasion to the joint, you increase the rate of recovery and decrease the length of time needed for physical therapy. Another benefit to arthroscopic surgery is that many can be performed. There is a limited number of times a knee can endure open surgery. Arthroscopic surgery "saves" the open surgeries for when they are absolutely necessary.

Effects

• The effects of arthroscopic surgery are usually successful. Before a doctor performs a surgery, there should have been an exhaustion of other treatments. Once surgery has been established as the best course of action, the benefits will far outweigh the risks. Immediate effects of surgery will be swelling, pain and stiffness. Following this will be quad weakness and the need for physical therapy. Compared to open knee surgery, which can have a lengthy recovery period as the skin and tissues hea--making the necessary physical therapy painful as the scar tissue is stretched and manipulated--arthroscopic knee surgery has a much quicker recovery period. Physical therapy can be launched within a day of the surgery, and will progress rapidly, as the incisions are small and heal quickly. Once a satisfactory term of physical therapy has been provided, there is usually no ill effect from the surgery at all--only the overall beneficial outcome the surgeon was aiming for.