The Decision Is Yours
Joint surgery is not for everybody. Even if your doctor and surgeon determine your condition would be improved by surgery, the decision to have the operation is up to you. You need to weigh your options and understand what the surgery will involvebefore, during, and after surgery, and over the months of physical therapy. It will require patience and the willingness to follow through with physical therapy. Your commitment is the key ingredient in the success of joint surgery. If youre not sure about having surgery, ask for a second opinion from another doctor. Ask your doctor to suggest a surgeon with arthritis experience. Sign a release form and ask that your medical records and X-rays be sen to the consulting physician. Consider the advice of all your doctors carefully. Doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and social workers are part of the team that will work to make the surgery a success. Your family and friends are also members of the team. Look to them for emotional support and for assistance during your recovery. But the most important team member is you.
Come To Dr Soffer For Expert Individualized Knee Care
Are you suffering from persistent knee pain and discomfort? Dr. Stephen Soffer is a highly qualified and experienced orthopedic surgeon who can help you get rid of your symptoms and get back to your normal activities. Dr. Soffer offers the latest and greatest treatments for knee conditions. These include non-surgical methods, knee replacement surgery and arthroscopic knee surgery for arthritis. He also holds certification in the treatment of cartilage injuries in the knee through articular cartilage implantation.
If you are ready to seek care for your knee injury or condition, call 610-375-4949 and schedule an appointment with Dr. Soffer. We look forward to helping you return to an active lifestyle with no more chronic knee pain.
Why Tissue Repairs Are Different Than Removal
As previously stated, sometimes knee scopes are exploratory to assess the extent of tissue damage because physical tests and MRI results have been inconsistent or inconclusive.
It is important to distinguish the difference between the less involved debridement or loose body removal surgery, where damaged tissues are removed and articulating surfaces are cleaned up versus a REPAIR.
Once the surgeon is inside the joint to see and probe the integrity of the tissue, they can decide if just a clean up will suffice or if tissues need to be reconstructed or repaired.
The patient will consult with their Orthopedic Surgeon to discuss the benefits and risks of each procedure. Sometimes an Orthopedic surgeon recommends Physical Therapy or injections prior to choosing to perform a repair procedure.
A torn ligament such as an ACL or PCL will likely need repaired if the patient is wishing to return to higher levels of activities requiring a stable knee. The same could be said for a patient with a meniscus tear that needs to be repaired .
Patients with only an ACL or PCL reconstruction are likely weightbearingas tolerated with crutches immediately following surgery, whereas a meniscus repair will be non-weightbearing for 1-2 months to protect the integrity of the repair.
The surgery recovery timeline for these repairs is much longer than just a scope or cleaning up debridement procedure and will likely last 4-8 months in Physical Therapy depending on progress and goals.
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Arthroscopy Vs Knee Replacement
This article distinguishes between a knee replacement and a knee arthroscopy. A major distinction between arthroscopic surgery and knee replacement surgery is that one surgery preserves your natural knee joint while the other replaces it with an artificial joint.
For people suffering from chronic and severe knee pain, a decision can be difficult to make between surgery and knee replacement. The size of the incisions is the most significant difference between the two procedures. Depending on the type of knee replacement surgery, it may be performed in a typical fashion or through minimally invasive means. A knee replacement requires a much longer recovery time than an anterior knee replacement procedure, but an anterior knee replacement procedure is less invasive. Because the replacement joint is artificial, it moves smoothly and is less likely to cause complications such as bone spurs or other malformations. Patients report less pain and improved knee function in most cases after the surgery.
Before The Knee Arthroscopy Procedure
Always tell your health care provider what medicines you are taking, even drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription.
During the 2 weeks before your knee arthroscopy surgery:
- You may be told to stop taking medicines that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen , naproxen , and other blood thinners.
- Ask which medicines you should still take on the day of your surgery.
- Tell your provider if you have been drinking a lot of alcohol .
- If you smoke, try to stop. Ask your provider for help. Smoking can slow down wound and bone healing. It also leads to a higher rate of surgical complications.
- Always let your provider know about any cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness you have before your surgery.
On the day of your knee arthroscopy surgery:
- You will most often be asked not to drink or eat anything for 6 to 12 hours before the procedure.
- Take the medicines you have been told to take with a small sip of water.
- You will be told when to arrive at the hospital.
If you are generally healthy, your knee arthroscopy will most likely be performed as an outpatient. This means you will not need to stay overnight at the hospital.
Be sure to inform your orthopaedic surgeon of any medications or supplements that you take. You may need to stop taking some of these before surgery.
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Updates To This Article
Table 2 shows evidence which has emerged since the publication of this article. As new evidence is published, a group will assess the new evidence and make a judgment on to what extent it is expected to alter the recommendation.
How patients were involved in the creation of this article:
Three people with lived experience of osteoarthritis, one of whom had arthroscopic knee surgery, were full panel members. These panel members identified important outcomes and led the discussion on values and preferences. Pain was weighed as higher importance for most patients: for example, the patient panel members felt that a possible small benefit to function without a reduction in pain would be unimportant to almost all patients. Those with lived experience identified key practical issues including concerns with cost and accessibility for both arthroscopy and interventions provided by physiotherapists. The members participated in the teleconferences and email discussions and met all authorship criteria.
Education into practice
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Project: how many arthroscopic procedures are scheduled in your organisation for degenerative knee disease?
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Based on the information you have read in this article or in this package of Rapid Recommendation articles, is there anything which you might alter your practice?
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To what extent might you use information in this article to alter the conversations you have with patients with degenerative knee disease, or those considering arthroscopic surgery?
Making The Knee Shiny And New With Arthroscopy
For severe cases, surgery can help ease the nagging, intense pain that comes with arthritis. Knee arthroscopy is the most common procedure done on the knees. The goal is to repair or replace damaged cartilage. For someone with arthritis, a successful arthroscopy means reduced pain, a better range of motion, and better quality of life.
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Recovery Timeline
Every patient’s knee arthroscopy recovery timeline is different. In general, you can expect to return to the full extent of your usual activities within six to eight weeks after the surgery, but procedures like repairs of a meniscus, ACL, or PCL often require several months for complete rehabilitation.
A meniscus repair can take between three and six months to recover and return to unrestricted activity while it can take between six and 12 months to fully recover from an ACL or PCL reconstruction.
Your return to work will be dependent upon your specific job duties. For sedentary jobs that involve sitting for most of the day, you may be able to return to work as soon as one to two weeks after the surgery.
For more active jobs that entail physical demands, including prolonged standing, you will be able to return to work after several weeks of rehabilitation. Your surgeon will give you clearance to return to work after your knee has healed enough to tolerate your work duties.
Arthroscopic Knee Surgery For Osteoarthritis
The procedure entails lavage and debridement . The belief is that this popular surgery reduces synovitis, improves joint motion, reduces pain, and improves function.
During anterior knee surgery, the surgeon can observe the inside of the knee in much greater detail than during open surgery. In 2008, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital tested this technique in patients with advanced arthritis in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. arthroscopy was ineffective in a large number of patients who had advanced osteoarthritis. Despite popular belief, the value ofarthroscopic knee surgery for degenerative knee arthritis is still questionable, according to Robert G. Marx. Although asymptomatic meniscal tears and osteoarthritis may cause pain, knee arthritis, which is caused by inflammation in the joint, does not necessitate the use of pain medications. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, chondroitin, and glucosamine supplements are all effective options for some people with rheumatoid arthritis.
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For Best Results Limping Must Be Avoided After Arthroscopy Knee Surgery
The knee joints suffer massive forces of wear and tear that can be added to through faulty gait patterns. Yes, that means limping! To make sure your knee doesnt continue to deteriorate after arthroscopy its all about getting the range of joint motion back and getting you walking properly. Walking is the best medicine for knees, but not if youre walking badly!
The opposing bony surfaces of the knee joint are protected by a cartilage buffer that has a shiny friction-free consistency of dense plastic
Its important to remember with all the large weight-bearing joints we must operate with the optimum amount of fluid in the joint, so that we walk on a cushion of fluid.
The synovial fluid lubricates the joint and helps promote friction-free gliding of the opposing cartilage surfaces past one another. If you walk badly, theres more friction from the cartilage caused by the wonky muscle action, which inflames the knee. More fluid then pours into the joint to help filter out little gritty bits of cartilage, with the accumulating swelling causing pain. Its important to empty it out again so that you have just the right amount of fluid in the knee.
SYNOVIAL FLUID OF THE KNEE PERFORMS SEVERAL IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS
1. It lubricates the knee
2. It cools the opposing working cartilage surfaces cool
3. It debrides the knee of gritty cartilage particles
4. It nourishes the cartilage buffer
5. It acts like a cushion of fluid to soften bone-to-bone contact in the knee
Can Rehabilitation Be Done At Home
All patients are given a set of home exercises to do between supervised physical therapy sessions and the home exercises make up an important part of the recovery process. However, supervised therapy–which is best done in an outpatient physical therapy studio–is extremely helpful and those patients who are able to attend outpatient therapy are encouraged to do so.
For patients who are unable to attend outpatient physical therapy, home physical therapy is arranged.
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Why Does My Knee Hurt Worse After Arthroscopic Surgery
Following arthroscopic surgery, excessive knee pain is frequently caused by overactivity or spending too much time on your feet prior to properly strengthening the thigh muscles. If the knee becomes overly swollen, there is a risk of further pain. Following an arthroscopy, the knee may feel swollen and sore for a short period of time.
Knee Surgery Recovery Time
Knee surgery recovery time varies depending upon the type of knee surgery and the individuals health. Recovery in terms of walking or resuming normal life can begin within 3 to 8 weeks of surgery, while resuming strenuous activities may take quite a few months.
Knee surgery recovery time varies depending upon the type of knee surgery and the individuals health. Recovery in terms of walking or resuming normal life can begin within 3 to 8 weeks of surgery, while resuming strenuous activities may take quite a few months.
In cases of severe knee problems where treatment through medication is not possible, knee surgery is the ultimate option to improve the function of knee joint. Besides, many sportsmen also undergo a knee surgery if the knee problem jeopardizes their performance. Depending upon the problem, there are several types of corrective orthopedic surgeries. The recovery time primarily depends upon the particular type of surgery you opt for.
Daniel Fulham ONeill, M.D., Ed.D, stated in his book, Knee Surgery: The Essential Guide to Total Knee Recovery that, different knees heal at different rates. People have different problems and different responses to surgeries, which is why the ideal recovery time after a knee surgery cannot be determined.
ArthroscopyRecovery TimeHalf/Partial Knee Replacement SurgeryRecovery TimeTotal Knee Replacement SurgeryRecovery TimeKnee OsteotomyRecovery Time
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Who Should Consider Total Knee Replacement Surgery
It is usually reasonable to try a number of non-operative interventions before considering knee replacement surgery of any type. Prior to surgery an orthopedic surgeon may offer medications knee injections or exercises. A surgeon may talk to patients about activity modification weight loss or use of a cane.
The decision to undergo the total knee replacement is a “quality of life” choice. Patients typically have the procedure when they find themselves avoiding activities that they used to enjoy because of knee pain. When basic activities of daily life–like walking shopping or reasonable recreational pastimes–are inhibited or prevented by the knee pain it may be reasonable to consider the surgery.
Knee Pain 1 Year After Meniscus Surgery: Can Arthroscopy Cause Arthritis
As mentioned above, most of the long term problems after meniscus surgery are the symptoms of arthritis. Pain and swelling can be very common symptoms of arthritis.
So, can Arthroscopy cause Arthritis? To answer that, yes it can cause arthritis. with that it comes up with issues like the rapid tearing of meniscus, crackling sound when the joints move, pain while sitting or standing up, etc.
However, there are some ways one can prevent arthritis to happen after meniscus surgery. So, lets get ahead of the article.
Note: one must definitely visit an orthopedic specialist after the surgery as well. To recommend, Dr. Ramakant Kumar is the best Doctor for Arthroscopy in Patna. He has been a surgeon for arthroscopy for years.
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Its Easy To Get The Care You Need
See a Premier Physician Network provider near you.
In treating your arthritis, your provider will likely start with conservative, nonsurgical options such as medication, physical therapy, braces, and shots. But when these lose their effectiveness in managing your arthritis pain, and your arthritis interferes with your quality of life, your provider may talk with you about considering surgery.
One surgical option for treating an arthritic joint is joint replacement surgery.
But another type of joint surgery arthroscopy is considered ineffective in providing long-term relief from arthritis, says orthopedic surgeon Michael Raab, MD.
Although, he adds, it is used occasionally for patients who may have long-standing arthritis, but then have a suddentorn meniscus or torn cartilage within the knee that was previously not problematic.
Dr. Raab explains that arthroscopic surgery does not relieve arthritis pain long term.
Click play to watch the video or read video transcript.
Is arthroscopic surgery an option for arthritis?
Arthroscopic surgery is performed using pencil-sized incisions to allow a camera and small instruments to be placed in the joint to examine and repair damage. In arthroscopy of the knee the surgeon commonly repairs or removes part of a damaged meniscus a cartilage pad between the thighbone and shinbone. The surgeon also removes loose debris from the joint.
But arthroscopy, he says, is not effective long-term for an arthritic problem.
Knee Arthroscopy: Should This Common Knee Surgery Be Performed Less Often
- By Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Imagine youre walking along and suddenly experience excruciating knee pain. Though it initially seems stuck in one position, after a minute or two you can limp along home, but just barely. At your doctors visit, an x-ray is normal but symptoms continue for weeks. An MRI is performed and now you have an explanation: a torn meniscus. A month later, youre no better despite rest, pain medicines, and physical therapy. Its time for surgery to fix it, right? Maybe not.
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Make Lifestyle Changes If Necessary
After healing from knee arthroscopy, if youre at risk of injuring the other knee, or you want to minimize your risk of additional knee problems in general, you may need to switch to lower-impact sports and activities until you feel ready to engage in high-impact ones. For example, if youre an avid outdoor runner a high-impact activity you might consider biking, swimming, or walking, so you can avoid putting so much pressure on your knees.
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What Happens During Arthroplasty
Arthroplasty usually requires a stay in a hospital. Procedures may varydepending on your condition and your healthcare providers practices.
Arthroplasty may be done while you are asleep under general anesthesia, orwhile you are awake under localized anesthesia. Your anesthesiologist willdiscuss this with you in advance.
Generally, arthroplasty follows this process:
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