Arthroscopy

Why an arthroscopy is done

You might be referred for an arthroscopy to:

• check what's causing symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, stiffness or joints locking
• check for damage to a joint, such as a sports injury, or if you have a condition like osteoarthritis that can damage your joints
• repair joint damage

A knee arthroscopy is the most common type of arthroscopy. You can also have an arthroscopy on your ankles, hips, shoulders, wrists or elbows.

Getting ready for an arthroscopy

After you've been referred for an arthroscopy, you should get a letter or email telling you:

• when and where you'll have the surgery
• if you need to go to the hospital for a health check before your surgery
• about eating and drinking on the day of your surgery
• about stopping or starting any medicines before your surgery
• how long you'll take to recover and any exercises you need to do after your arthroscopy

Let the hospital know if you're pregnant.

Have a shower or bath the morning of your arthroscopy, or the night before. Cleaning your skin will reduce your risk of infection.

Bring any medicines that you usually take to your appointment.

You may need to take time off work after having an arthroscopy. How long depends on things like the type of arthroscopy you're having and the type of job you do.

What happens during an arthroscopy

Before an arthroscopy

You'll speak with a nurse about what's going to happen. They'll ask some questions about your health and medical history and discuss the type of anaesthetic you'll have.

There are 3 types of anaesthetic that can be used during an arthroscopy:

• general anaesthetic – to put you to sleep during the procedure
• local anaesthetic – where you are awake and medicine is used to numb a joint and the surrounding area
• a spinal anaesthetic – where medicine is used to numb your body below the waist (this may be used if you are having a knee arthroscopy)

The anaesthetic you have usually depends on the type of arthroscopy, what joint is involved and your general health.

During an arthroscopy

The main steps of an arthroscopy are:

1. The surgeon makes a small cut, or cuts, in your skin, around 2mm to 3mm wide, near the joint.
2. A tiny camera with a light (an arthroscope) is put into the cut. It sends images of the inside of your joint to a screen.
3. The surgeon repairs the joint if needed (you may feel some tugging if you're awake, but it will not hurt).
4. They seal the cut with tape or stitches and may put a dressing on it.

An arthroscopy can take 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the type you're having.

After an arthroscopy

After the arthroscopy is finished, you will go to a recovery room.

You should be able to go home as soon as you feel well enough. For most people, this is within a few hours. Sometimes you may need to spend the night in hospital.

You must not drive if you've had a general anaesthetic. Someone will need to pick you up from hospital and take you home.

Possible complications of an arthroscopy

An arthroscopy is a common type of surgery.

Complications are rare but can include:

• a reaction to the anaesthetic
• joint pain, numbness or tingling
• blood clots
• infection

Recovering from an arthroscopy

It can take from around 1 week to several months to fully recover from an arthroscopy. It depends on the type of arthroscopy and your general health.

Your joint is likely to be painful and stiff at first. Painkillers like paracetamol can help.

You'll usually get a written recovery plan before having an arthroscopy. This will include information about when you can return to work, exercise and driving.

You should be able to drive again when you've fully recovered and you're able to do an emergency stop. This will usually be at least 2 weeks after your operation.

You may be given some exercises to help your recovery. You may also be referred to a physiotherapist for a few weeks.