Knee arthroscopy is a minor surgery in which the orthopedist uses a thin tube, with a camera at the end, to observe the inner structures of the joint, without having to make a large incision in the skin. For example, arthroscopy is often used in cases of knee pain to assess problems with joint structures.
However, if the diagnosis has already been made, through other tests such as x-rays, for example, your doctor may still use arthroscopy to perform minor repairs of the meniscus, cartilage, or cruciate ligaments, helping to treat the problem. After this procedure, precautions will be needed, so this is how physiotherapy can be performed to recover from arthroscopy.
- Arthroscopy is a low-risk surgery that usually lasts about 1 hour and.
- As a result.
- Your recovery time is also much faster than that of traditional knee surgery.
- However.
- This time may vary from person to person.
- Depending on the speed of healing and the problem being treated.
However, in almost all cases it is possible to return home the same day, it is only important to maintain certain care such as:
In addition, it may also be advisable to perform rehabilitation sessions in physical therapy, especially in cases where a knee structure has been repaired. Physical therapy helps completely regain the strength of your leg muscles and increases the ability to bend your knee, which may be affected after surgery.
Physical activity can usually resume approximately 6 weeks after arthroscopy, according to the orthopedist’s instructions. In addition, there may be cases where it is important to exchange high-impact activities, depending on the type of knee injury.
The risk of complications from arthroscopy is very low, however, as with any other surgery, bleeding can occur during surgery, infection at the wound site, an allergic reaction to anesthesia, the appearance of knee stiffness or damage to healthy knee structures.
To avoid this type of risk, it is very important to make all pre-surgery appointments, so that your doctor can evaluate the person’s entire medical history as well as the medications used. In addition, it is important to select a trusted clinic and physician experienced in this type of procedure.