The Benefits of Arthroscopic Surgery

If your doctor has told you that you need a surgery on one of your joints — such as in your shoulder, hip, or knee — you may feel nervous. You might even be imagining a major surgery, with the lengthy recovery that usually comes with it.

But you may have a less-invasive option: arthroscopic surgery. Our providers at OrthoCincy Wellington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine explain more about arthroscopic surgery and whether or not you might be a good candidate for it.

What is arthroscopic surgery?

When our surgeons perform arthroscopic surgery, they make small incisions, about the size of a buttonhole. Then they thread in an arthroscope, a thin tube with a tiny fiber-optic camera at the end, which allows them to see inside the area. The images taken by the camera are projected onto a big screen inside the operating room.

Tiny tools attached to the arthroscope allow your surgeon to diagnose and repair certain issues with your joint. This includes issues with your ligaments such as an ACL tear or torn meniscus, rotator cuff injuries, and arthritis damage.

The issues we can detect with arthroscopic surgery

We may recommend arthroscopic surgery to assist with diagnosing the cause of your pain. It is used to confirm a diagnosis or when other tests have failed to give answers. Some of the conditions we can diagnose with arthroscopic surgery include:

• Rotator cuff tears
• Inflammation of your joint lining
• Meniscal tears
• Shoulder impingement
• Loose bone fragments in a joint

Why choose arthroscopic surgery

Arthroscopic surgery has many advantages compared to a traditional “open” surgery, which has bigger incisions. 

Some of these advantages include:

Fewer stitches and smaller scars

Arthroscopic surgery has smaller incisions, which means that you will have fewer stitches and tiny scars. This also reduces your risk of postsurgical infections.

Less trauma to surrounding tissue

With a traditional open surgery, your surgeon has to cut through a lot of healthy tissue to see the damage to your joint. Arthroscopic surgery allows the surgeon to use the microscopic camera to see inside, which causes less trauma to the healthy tissue around the joint.

Shorter hospital stays

With traditional open surgery, you’ll typically spend a few days recovering in the hospital. With arthroscopic surgery, because the incisions are smaller, you can often go home the same day of the procedure.

Faster recovery

You can return to your normal life faster after an arthroscopic surgery. You have less pain because there’s less tissue affected by the surgery that needs to heal.

If you have pain in your joints and haven’t been able to get relief, arthroscopic surgery may provide the answers, and we may even be able to repair your joint during this procedure. Contact us to schedule a consultation at one of our offices in Cincinnati or West Chester, Ohio, or Highland Heights, Kentucky. Or you can request an appointment while you’re here on the website.