Knee Surgery

 

Arthroscopy is a common surgical procedure in which a joint (arthro-) is viewed (-scopy) using a small camera. Arthroscopy gives doctors a clear view of the inside of the knee. This helps them diagnose and treat knee problems.

 

Technical advances have led to high definition monitors and high resolution cameras. These and other improvements have made arthroscopy a very effective tool for treating knee problems. According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, more than 4 million knee arthroscopies are performed worldwide each year.

 

Arthroscopy is done through small incisions. During the procedure, your orthopaedic surgeon inserts the arthroscope (a small camera instrument about the size of a pencil) into your knee joint. The arthroscope sends the image to a television monitor. On the monitor, your surgeon can see the structures of the knee in great detail.

 

Your surgeon can use arthroscopy to feel, repair or remove damaged tissue. To do this, small surgical instruments are inserted through other incisions around your knee.

 

Knee Replacement Surgery

 

A person may want to consider knee replacement surgery if they have a stiff, painful knee that prevents them from performing even the simplest of activities and other treatments are no longer working.

 

During Knee Replacement Surgery

 

Once you are under general anesthesia (meaning you are temporarily put to sleep), spinal, or epidural (numb below the waist) anesthesia, an eight- to twelve-inch cut is made in the front of the knee. The damaged part of the joint is removed from the surface of the bones, and the surfaces are then shaped to hold a metal or plastic artificial joint. The artificial joint is attached to the thigh bone, shin and knee cap either with cement or a special material. When fit together, the attached artificial parts form the joint, relying on the surrounding muscles and ligaments for support and function.

 

Advances in Knee Replacement Surgery

 

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has revolutionized knee replacement surgery as well as many fields of medicine. Its key characteristic is that it uses specialized techniques and instrumentation to enable the surgeon to perform major surgery without a large incision.

 

MIS knee joint replacement requires a much smaller incision, three to five inches, versus the standard approach and incision, which is typically eight to twelve inches. The smaller, less invasive approaches result in less tissue trauma by allowing the surgeon to work between the fibers of the quadriceps muscles instead of requiring an incision through the tendon. It may lead to less pain, decreased recovery time and better motion due to less scar tissue formation.

 

Currently this less invasive procedure is performed by only a small percentage of orthopedic surgeons in North America. Because this type of surgery is still relatively new, research has been initiated to determine how the immediate and long-term results will compare to traditional surgery.