Arthroscopy - A good choice to treat sports injuries

Arthroscopy – A Good Choice to Treat Sports Injuries

Arthroscopic surgery is gaining importance in the world of sports and is a commonprocedure for most common joint injuries today. It is an ideal surgical option forsportspersons because it isolates the surgery to only the injured area, leaving thehealthy bone and tissue intact. Less pain, less joint stiffness and a shorter recovery timemakes arthroscopy an appealing choice for sportspersons who are eager to get back onthe field.

The word arthroscopy is derived from the Greek terms ‘arthro’ (relating to joints) and‘scopy’ (meaning ‘looking into’). It is a minimally invasive procedure performed usingendoscopes that are inserted into the concerned joint through one or two smallincisions. Surgeons view the joint area on a video monitor and determine the amount ortype of injury and then repair or correct the problem.

Arthroscopy can be performed on many parts of the body like the shoulder, wrist, elbow,hip, knee, ankle etc but it is most commonly performed on the shoulder (to treat rotatorcuff tears or shoulder impingement) and knee (ACL/PCL or ligament tears).An arthroscopy is not just a treatment procedure. It can be diagnostic and can supplantnon-invasive imaging techniques.

Faster, safer, less painful

Compared to open surgery, arthroscopic procedures have multiple advantages. Scopysurgeries are cosmetically better due to small incisions and are associated with lesserblood loss, faster recovery, faster healing and shorter hospital stay. Arthroscopy may beperformed as day care surgery so patients can return home on the same day itself andit typically involves less use of pain medications.

While infections and neuro-vascular injuries could occur later, the complication rates aremuch lower compared to open surgery.

To sum up, arthroscopy has many advantages over traditional surgical methods. These include:

  • Smaller incisions
  • Minimally invasive
  • Lesser bleeding
  • Faster recovery time
  • Less post-surgery pain
  • Fewer complications
  • Fewer scars

Dr. Nijith O Govindan (BPT, MBBS, MS Orthopaedics)

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Lakshmi Group of Hospitals, Cochin, Kerala, India – 682 016
Phone: 9475601731