What is arthroscopy surgery?
An arthroscopy is a type of keyhole surgery that allows your surgeon to see inside your joint without having to make a large incision. This means that it is a surgery that is minimally invasive, allowing you to recover faster, with less pain and with a lower risk of complications. [1] The word 'arthroscopy' comes from the two Greek words árthon (joint) and scorpion (to look at). [2]
How common is arthroscopy surgery?
Very. Nearly a million arthroscopy surgeries were conducted in 2006 in the United States alone – that's 114 per hour![3] Just to give you something to compare with, in 2003 the number of heart bypass surgeries (CABGs) conducted in the United States were only 152,000 (or 17 an hour).[4]
Why is there a need for arthroscopy surgery?
Often when a person presents with joint problems the treating doctors will order imaging tests (e.g. an X-ray) to diagnose the problem. Unfortunately, x-ray tests do not always provide all the answers and a surgeon will need to actually go into the joint to take a look, which is where arthroscopy surgery comes in.
An arthroscopy can be performed to either examine a joint and diagnose a problem or to repair damage to the joint, or both. For example, arthroscopy surgery can be used to treat bone spurs or loose bone fragments, damaged or torn cartilage, inflamed joint linings, joint infections, treat a frozen shoulder (i.e. shoulder arthroscopies), torn ligaments and tendons, scarring or tissue overgrowth within joints, and potentially much more![1, 5]
Arthroscopy surgeries are performed in many different joints including knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, ankles and wrists.
How is arthroscopy surgery conducted?
Regardless of which joint is operated on, you will be given an anaesthetic (either general, regional or spinal) so that you do not feel any pain during the surgery.
To conduct the arthroscopy your surgeon will make two small incisions near the joint in which he can thread through instruments, including an arthroscope. The arthroscope is a very small tube that has a small camera that feeds images back to a screen for the surgeon to see. Depending on whether the surgeon needs to probe further around the joint, one or more other incisions will be made to insert instruments in as needed.
If you're a visual person, check out this flash clip to see how a knee arthroscopy is conducted in more detail.
How long does it take to recover from an arthroscopy surgery?
Arthroscopies are short procedures (between 30 to 120 minutes) that are usually performed as day surgeries. [5] This means you should be able to go home a few hours after the procedure, however any swelling may take up to 2 weeks to completely settle. [6] Depending on the procedure and joint involved, you may be able to resume desk work and light activity after a week, and more strenuous activity about four to six weeks after the procedure. [5] It is worth asking your doctor or surgeon if there are medications you can take to make you feel more comfortable and recover faster – every case is different and only your healthcare team (surgeon, physiotherapist etc.) will be able to tell you what is best for you. There are however exercises which help speed up the healing process.
Is there any potential for complication during arthroscopy surgery?
Potential complications of an arthroscopy include blood clots, infection and tissue damage. The risk of complications following an arthroscopy is very low, and most people will recover without any hiccups. In general, it is best to make sure your surgeon is aware of your entire medical history (including allergies), and any medications (including supplements) that you are taking. In particular if you have any history of blood clots, have cancer, are pregnant or are a smoker let your doctor know as this may affect your postoperative care plan.
If you are using any medication to thin your blood (e.g. warfarin) make sure you surgeon and anaesthetist are aware so that they can let you know if you need to make any adjustments prior to your surgery.
References
[1] NHS
[2] Dictionary.com
[3] Bosque KS et al. Increase in outpatient knee arthroscopy in the United States: a comparison of National Surveys of Ambulatory Surgery, 1996 and 2006. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2011 Jun 1;93(11): 994-1000
[4] Wilson et al. U.S. Trends in CABG Hospital Volume: The Effect of Adding Cardiac Surgery Programs. Health Affairs, 26 #1 (2007): 162-168
[5] Mayo Clinic, Arthroscopy
[6] Wikipedia
