Know more about Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is studying inside of a joint with a small size telescope with rod-lens system. It allows minimally invasive surgical treatment of joint problems.
Over the last three decades like in other fields of medicine, minimally invasive surgery is done to solve joint problems and it has become a very popular treatment modality. Injuries of joints happen due to indirect trauma or direct trauma in sports, traffic accidents and falls at work or home and are leading cause of disability in young individuals – students, sportsmen, police and armed forces in the prime of life.
Knee joint is by and large the most affected joint because of important structures like meniscal cartilages and cruciate ligaments inside and being a weight bearing joint most often injured.
A twisting injury of the knee that happened, while playing sports like football, kabaddi, basketball and cricket, is a very common sports injury and 80% of these injuries like Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is torn, leading to instability of the knee joint. This is often associated with a meniscal tear which causes locking, pain and swelling of the knee joint.
Immediately after the injury, there is severe pain, swelling and inability to stand unsupported due to “giving away” feeling / insecure feeling. The knee joint should be braced for rest, ice should be applied on the affected area and it is useful to alleviate the pain but an X-ray of the knee should
be done to rule-out any fracture and MRI of the knee are done to properly diagnose the injury.
After initial pain is relieved, instability and locking like episodes with pain and swelling is repeated, then arthroscopic evaluation is required and treatment is done by excision or repair of meniscal tear and reconstruction of torn cruciate ligament commonly using autologous tendon graft is required.
Arthroscopic surgical reconstruction is quick, minimally invasive and has advantage of quick discharge and early rehabilitation unlike open method which takes longer surgical time, more stay in hospital, delay in rehabilitation as well as more complications.
MBBS, MS (Ortho), DSc (Sports Med)
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
OMNI Hospitals, Kothapet