Sometimes you can address knee inflammation, persistent pain, and being less mobile than you’d like with conservative treatments like the RICE method — rest, ice, compression, and elevation — and over-the-counter pain medications.
But if your pain is prolonged, getting worse, and your movement is severely limited, it might be time to consider knee arthroscopy, a minimally invasive surgical technique.
Dr. Struan Coleman should be your first choice for this procedure, because he’s highly experienced in performing it, enthusiastically answers all your questions, and can calm your very understandable worries. Our team is equally professional and compassionate, and ensures that your experience is top-notch from start to finish.
He also treats the most complex knee problems you can imagine — those of professional athletes — which means your care is the same quality as a pro golfer, tennis player, or baseball player would receive.
What is arthroscopic surgery?
Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive type of procedure and significantly different from traditional or “open” surgery. Compared to standard surgical methods, arthroscopy is done using:
- A tiny camera (arthroscope) equipped with a light to guide instruments to your surgery site
- A video screen that captures what Dr. Coleman is doing in real time with the arthroscope and an array of equally delicately designed surgical tools
- Just a few small incisions
Minimally invasive surgery is shown to have significant benefits over open surgery: faster healing, less pain, scarring, and bleeding, and less disruption and injury to the surrounding area of the joint getting treated. You’re also at lower risk of acquiring a surgery-associated infection.
These procedures allow Dr. Coleman to accomplish many tasks: perform investigative work, determine the exact location he will surgically address, and during surgery, repair your knee in the most targeted, sophisticated way possible.
When is knee arthroscopy advised?
As we mentioned before, knee arthroscopy is the best choice when other methods to alleviate your pain and restore your mobility have failed. Dr. Coleman performs knee arthroscopy to:
- Rebuild a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the primary ligament that stabilizes your knee
- Remove Inflamed synovial tissue (connective tissue that helps to keep your knee joint lubricated)
- Repair patella issues (the bone on the front of your kneecap)
- Mend a torn meniscus (connective tissue located on both sides of your knee that is shock absorbing)
- Remove Infected tissue in the knee area caused by sepsis (when your body overreacts to an infection)
- Address articular cartilage (tissue on the ends of your bones where your knee joint is formed) damage
- Remove any wayward bone pieces or cartilage remnants that shouldn’t be there
In addition to the fact that knee arthroscopy is an effective, safe, and proven method for treating this multitude of knee joint problems, it’s an outpatient surgery that typically takes less than an hour to perform, so you can expect to be back home within hours on the day of the procedure.
That said, being careful and patient during recovery is important. Dr. Coleman walks you through each phase of recovery and counsels you about how to stay comfortable, when and how much weight you should expect to be able to put on your knee at different post-surgical milestones, and when you can expect to return to your normal activities.
Call the office that’s most convenient to you so you can learn more about knee arthroscopy, and whether you might be a candidate. You can also connect with us through our website.