Why Arthroscopic Knee Surgery is Preferable

If you need knee surgery to repair damaged cartilage issue, your doctor will usually prefer to do arthroscopic knee surgery in Maple Valley, WA. The alternative in the past has been to make a larger incision to repair a damaged ligament or cartilage. Arthroscopic surgery means that smaller incisions are made to allow a camera to be placed inside the knee so the surgeon can see the damage. Other small incisions allow instruments to be inserted to do the repairs. This type of knee surgery is the preferred option for a number of reasons. Here's what you need to know.

Numerous Applications

One advantage of doing arthroscopic surgery, or scoping the knee, is that the procedure can be used to repair a number of knee injuries. Meniscus tears can usually be trimmed or repaired without completely opening up the knee. ACL reconstruction is another common knee injury and the majority of these procedures are done arthroscopically. Arthroscopic knee surgery can also be performed to repair a dislocated kneecap, transfer cartilage, or stimulate the growth of new cartilage where it's been damaged.

Less Risk

Another reason this type of knee surgery is preferred is because the risks associated with any type of surgery are lower. There's typically less blood loss since there are only three small incisions made rather than one long one. In addition, the procedure is almost always done on an outpatient basis, which means you'll spend less time in the hospital and have less risk of being exposed to infection. 

Faster Recovery

Recovering from an arthroscopic procedure is much easier because the procedure overall is far less invasive. In fact, the entire procedure often only takes an hour or two. Patients are able to go home within a few hours after it's been determined that there are no complications from anesthesia and the pain is manageable. Since there's less connective tissue that needs to heal with smaller incisions the overall recovery time is faster. A shorter recovery time is especially important to athletes who will be able to return to their training more quickly after arthroscopic surgery.

Success Rates

Arthroscopic knee surgery in Maple Valley, WA, is very successful because it allows the surgeon to see inside the knee and repair the knee properly. While this can be done by opening the knee up entirely, it's much easier on the patient if a large incision can be avoided.