Have you ever wondered how high-profile athletes, such as tennis champion Roger Federer, are able to return to the top of their game quickly after undergoing career threatening knee injuries? The answer is arthroscopic knee surgery, which is considered one of the two most important innovations in the field of orthopedics during the last 100 years.
Arthroscopic knee surgery is an advanced form of surgery that is helping patients across the globe return to their active lifestyles with minimal delay. Rather than completely opening up the knee as with traditional open surgery, repair of damaged tissue is performed through very small incisions that make postsurgical recovery quicker and easier.
Here are some of the many benefits of arthroscopic knee surgery:
- Smaller incisions: Knee arthroscopy is performed through small incisions that are approximately the size of a keyhole.
- In-depth evaluation of the knee anatomy: The surgeon inserts an arthroscope (a small tube-like device that contains a miniaturized camera) into the knee joint through the small incision. The camera projects the images of the internal architecture of the knee onto a large screen. This helps the surgeon easily identify any underlying defect.
- Repair: Specialized instruments can be passed through a separate channel in the arthroscope to remove loose fragments of bone and debris from within the joint as well as repair damaged tissue.
- Faster recovery: As it is a minimally invasive procedure, knee arthroscopy can be performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. You should be able to completely recover from knee arthroscopy within 6-8 weeks, while recovery from an open knee surgery could take several months.
NewportCare Medical Group is a comprehensive specialty group located in Newport Beach, California offering a wide range of services ranging from conservative and non-operative treatments to advanced and minimally invasive surgical procedures for patients with musculoskeletal problems in the Newport Beach and Orange County areas of California.