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Typically a healthy patient can go home the same day after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Be sure to talk over the details with your hospital or surgical center. When you are preparing for this surgery, you should adhere to normal precautions. For example, you should not eat or drink after midnight on the night preceding your surgery. Be sure to arrive at the hospital an hour or two before your surgery is scheduled so you will have plenty of time for preparation.

Upon arrival at the hospital, you will meet with an anesthesiologist who will evaluate you to determine what kind of anesthesia will be best for your procedure. With knee arthroscopy, there are three options. The anesthesiologist may decide that local anesthesia, that puts you to sleep, will be best for you. Alternately, he or she may decide that you will do fine with regional anesthesia, that numbs you from the waist down, or local anesthesia, that just numbs your knee.

If you want to, you can watch your surgery on a monitor if you have regional or local anesthesia.

The first thing the orthopedic surgeon will do is make some small incisions into your knee. Then your knee joint will be filled with a sterile solution. This will wash away any cloudy fluid so that the surgeon will be able to see everything clearly.

An arthroscope will be used to diagnose your knee problem. An image of the interior of your knee will be projected on a monitor. The surgeon will use this image to guide the arthroscope. If you need surgical treatment, your surgeon will have a number of small surgical instruments at his disposal. Tiny lasers, motorized shavers, clamps, scissors, and more can be inserted and used via a small incision.

Click here for more on Oregon Knee Arthroscopy Basics.

This portion of the procedure usually lasts 45 – 90 minutes.

Here are some treatments you can commonly expect with knee arthroscopy:

Synovial tissue that has become inflamed will be removed.

Cruciate ligaments that have torn will be reconstructed.

Loose bone and cartilage fragment removal.

Torn articular cartilage trimming.

Torn meniscal cartilage repair or removal.

When your surgery is done, your surgeon will either stitch or tape your incisions and will cover them with a bandage.

You will then wait in the recovery room for an hour or two, after which you can have a friend or family member drive you home.

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Dr. Edelson is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in sports medicine. His clinic, Sports Medicine Oregon, focuses on athletes of all ages. Click here to learn more about Dr. Edelson, Vancouver SLAP Tears and Knee Doctors in Portland.

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