Knee arthroscopy is a procedure used to diagnose and treat certain problems in your knee joint. The procedure involves making a small incision and inserting a camera called an arthroscope into your knee, which helpsdoctors see what is happening inside of the joint, and once they know the real cause of concern, they can identify the right treatment option. In most cases, they repair small problems using the instruments within the arthroscope. Since it is a surgical procedure, it is natural to ask about knee arthroscopy recovery time. How long it takes you to recover from the procedure depends on a number of factors.
Before you inquire about the time it takes to recover from knee arthroscopy, you may be asking exactly why you need to undergo this surgical procedure. This usually happens when you have serious knee pain. In some cases, your doctor orders a knee arthroscopy to identify or confirm the condition causing your pain.
Arthroscopic surgery can help diagnose and treat a number of knee injuries, including torn posterior or anterior cruciate ligaments, torn meniscus, factures in the knee bones, torn cartilage in the joint and swollen lining in the joint. It also proves effective in the removal of a Baker's cyst.
Normal knee arthroscopy recovery time is up to six weeks because your knee joint requires that much of time to reproduce joint fluid after surgery. This is the reason why you may not notice how effective your surgery was for the first few weeks. However, how long it takes someone to recover from surgery may be completely different from others who have undergone the procedure.There are patients who return to their normal activities within two weeks of their surgery, but this is rare. Keep in mind that it may take up to four months until swelling goes away completely and you regain your strength and flexibility.
In most cases, you require at least six weeks before you could undertake strenuous physical activities, such as sport and heavy lifting.
As it is not a very invasive procedure, your surgeon usually completes it within an hour or two. It means you can walk with crutches and take fluids orally on the same day after your surgery. Here are a few tips to shorten knee arthroscopy recovery time:
Just like any other surgical procedure, there are certain risks associated with knee arthroscopy. The most common risks are excessive bleeding, breathing difficulties when under anesthesia, infection at the site of incision, and allergic reaction to medications.
Some people may experience bleeding inside the knee joint with infection inside it. You may even develop a blood clot in the leg and have stiffness in the leg because of your surgery. There is also risk of injury to the ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, meniscus, and nerves of the knee.
While a knee arthroscopy is less invasive procedure, you may still develop certain complications after your surgery. You should contact your doctor immediately if you have a high temperature with severe pain and swelling. Call your doctor if you notice foul-smelling or discolored discharge from your wound. If you notice tingling or numbness, you should inform your doctor about it because it could be due to nerve damage.