What is arthroscopic surgery?
Arthroscopic surgery is a technique the Vital Orthopedic & Spine Institute team uses to see inside your joints. This allows them to diagnose and treat your condition without having open surgery.
The arthroscope your surgeon uses is a surgical instrument that’s slim and flexible and has a magnifying lens, camera, and light on the end. It’s also hollow, so your surgeon can pass other instruments through it when they need to.
The arthroscope fits into a small incision in your skin and through to the joint. The camera sends a video feed of the joint’s interior to a screen in the operating room. Your surgeon uses the feed to see everything in bright, magnified detail.
With the arthroscopic images to guide them, your surgeon investigates the joint and performs various repairs, depending on the reason for the procedure.
Why might I need arthroscopic surgery?
Your provider might need to perform arthroscopic surgery if the cause of your joint pain isn’t clear from X-rays or scans. While these tools are invaluable, there are times when even a detailed MRI or CT scan doesn’t pick up what’s wrong. Arthroscopy also provides the most accurate assessment of tissue damage.
Arthroscopic surgery was mainly a diagnostic tool in its early days. With technological advances, it’s now possible to use it to treat many conditions.
What conditions can arthroscopic surgery treat?
Using arthroscopic techniques, the Vital Orthopedic & Spine Institute team can treat an ever-increasing number of joint conditions. Ones they often address using arthroscopy include:
Hip pain
Hip conditions arthroscopy can treat include labral tears, hip joint infection, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), dysplasia (shallow hip socket), and snapping hip syndromes.
Shoulder pain
Rotator cuff tears, shoulder impingement, recurrent dislocations, and labrum tears are all treatable using arthroscopy.
Knee pain
Treatable knee conditions include meniscus tears, ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and other knee ligament tears, knee instability, and synovitis.
Elbow pain
Using arthroscopic surgery, your provider can treat lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow), and damage to the humerus.
Wrist
In your wrist, arthroscopy can resolve carpal tunnel syndrome, ligament tears, and ganglion cysts.
It’s also possible to assess and treat many other problems, including arthritis and injuries like ankle sprains, using arthroscopic surgery.
What happens when I have arthroscopic surgery?
Arthroscopic surgery is often a same-day procedure, so you can go home afterward. Depending on the operation you’re having, your provider might use arthroscopy alone or in combination with other techniques.
If you’re experiencing joint problems and you need to have arthroscopic surgery, you can rely on the best of care at Vital Orthopedic & Spine Institute. For more information, call their office or book an appointment online today.
