Arthroscopy refers to ‘Key-hole surgery’ wherein 1-2 cm incisions (the size of a keyhole) are made through which a tiny camera and thin instruments can be inserted into the joint to perform the surgery. It uses a medical instrument called an arthroscope, which is a thin, flexible tube with bundles of fibre-optic cables inside that act as both a light source and camera.
Your surgeon will make a small incision on the front of your knee and insert the arthroscope.
The arthroscope will illuminate your knee joint and relay images of your knee to a television monitor. This will allow the surgeon to see the inside of your knee clearly.
Additional small incisions will be made in your knee so that other medical instruments can be inserted.
Arthroscopic knee surgery is done for a number of problems like ligament injuries, meniscus injuries, cartilage injuries and joint preservation, early arthritis and other sports injuries.
Ligaments can be referred to as the band of tough and elastic connective tissue that provides support to the joint by surrounding it and limiting the movement of the joint. Ligament damage is primarily caused by sports injury which ultimately damages the knee. The patient feels pain and instability in the leg. The 4 major ligaments in the knee are ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament), PCL (Posterior cruciate ligament), MCL (Medial collateral ligament), and LCL (Lateral collateral ligament.
Arthroscopic Ligament Surgery is generally recommended to patients to repair a torn ligament if other medical treatments are not able to provide the desired relief .Arthroscopic ACL & PCL reconstruction is done by taking small graft tendons from your own body (usually the back of same knee by a small incision), and then passing them through specially constructed tunnels in your knee bones and then fixing them with buttons and screws.
Arthroscopic ACL and PCL repair is usually done when the ligament gets detached along with a piece of bone from its insertion. In such cases the bone piece is fixed to its native original site using special screws and threads
In comparison to conventional surgeries, where a long incision is made, arthroscopy is much less traumatic to the joint. Hence it is also less painful, and has a quicker recovery
The meniscus is a disc like structure present in the knee which is of utmost importance as it helps in load transmission and shock absorption in the knee. The knee can bear weight up to 5 times of body weight during activity, and half of this force is transmitted through the meniscus with the knee straight and 85% of the force goes through the meniscus with the knee bent at an angle of ninety degrees.
The torn/ loss of the meniscus raises the pressure on the articular cartilage leading to degenerative disorders. The meniscus repair surgery not only preserves the meniscus tissue but also manages such disorders.
Arthroscopic meniscus surgery is an outpatient surgery and is done for repairing the torn meniscus. In some cases where the meniscus is not repairable, partial excision is done of the torn part known as partial menisectomy.
Arthroscopy helps to take care of various other sports and non sports related problems like loose bodies inside the knee joint, jumpers knee, runners knee, fat pad impingement, extra tissues (plica) inside the knee.
CUREHEAL Clinic is a specialized center for treatment of all your bone and joint related problems. Dr. Nitesh Rustagi is a double masters degree holder in Orthopaedics with vast experience and he is specialist in treating sports injuries of the knee and shoulder joint.
