Healthy joints are critical for an active life. Joint pain makes life very inactive and challenging. It impacts the overall well-being. Many joint conditions can cause intolerable and debilitating pain.
In this article, we will explore the importance of arthroscopy along with other relevant aspects.
What Is Arthroscopy?
It is a medical procedure used by joint specialists.
In arthroscopy, a surgeon uses a pencil-thin camera, an arthroscope, to look inside a joint. The arthroscope is inserted inside the joint cavity with the help of a minor/small cut or hole.
Because arthroscopy doesn’t involve making large incisions, it is also called a minimally invasive or keyhole procedure.
Arthroscopy is used for both diagnosis and treatment of various joint conditions.
Surgeons can use arthroscopy for diagnosis when imaging tests like X-ray, MRI and CT scan have left certain questions unanswered or more accurate images are needed to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis.
Besides diagnosis, arthroscopy is also used to perform various surgical operations to treat joint conditions as explained further in this article.
Thus, based on the purpose of use, there are two types of arthroscopic procedures, namely, diagnostic and surgical.
To book an appointment with an arthroscopic specialist, access the following link: arthroscopic surgeon in Delhi.
Importance of Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy plays a very significant role in orthopedics. It has the following benefits. These advantages lead to increased efficiency and better outcomes.
Consider the benefits of arthroscopy.
Exact Diagnosis: When imaging tests fail to answer some of the critical diagnostic questions, a surgeon can do arthroscopy for an accurate diagnosis.
Minimally Invasive: Arthroscopy doesn’t involve making large incisions. This procedure is typically completed with a few small holes. Instruments used under arthroscopy are very thin and narrow and don’t require large cuts.
Less Damage: As arthroscopy is minimally invasive, it doesn’t cause too much damage to adjacent soft-tissue structures during the procedure. With minimum cuts, only the exact area of concern is operated on to fix the situation.
Faster Recovery: Less damage results in faster rehabilitation and better recovery.
Outpatient Procedure: Arthroscopy is mostly an outpatient procedure; in other words, the patient can go home on the same day as surgery. It is true for a patient who is totally fine and not showing any signs of complications after arthroscopy.
These are the major benefits of arthroscopy.
Without arthroscopy, surgeons would have to do open surgery for every joint problem. It would increase treatment duration, cost, complications and recovery time.
Joint Conditions Treatable Through Arthroscopy
Joint damage or problems due to either an injury or internal conditions can be treated with the help of arthroscopy. Consider the following problems and see how arthroscopy is used to offer treatment.
Synovitis
Inflammation of synovium is known as synovitis. Synovium or synovial membrane is a layer of connective tissue in joints like the knee, the hip, the shoulder, the elbow and the wrist.
An autoimmune condition like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Psoriasis often leads to synovitis. Inflammation makes the membrane thick and painful. It starts producing more fluid than normal. Increased synovial fluid in the joint damages cartilage and other components of the joint.
To prevent joint damage due to synovitis, a surgeon removes the inflamed synovium from the affected joint partially or completely via arthroscopy. The procedure is known as arthroscopic synovectomy (or removal of chronically inflamed synovium or joint lining).
Tendon Injuries
A tendon is a band of soft tissue in a joint. It attaches a muscle to a bone, enabling movements like contractions and relaxations.
An injury can tear a tendon completely or nearly completely. To fix it, the surgeon performs the reconstruction surgery with a graft through arthroscopy. The procedure helps reconstruct the entire tendon back to its usual position.
Shoulder Impingement
It is a shoulder-related painful condition. When you lift your shoulder, it hurts. This condition could be temporary or permanent.
An injury can damage soft tissue in the shoulder and you might have to face this condition temporarily. However, a soft-tissue injury could also be severe. If the injury has torn a shoulder tendon completely, it will cause lasting shoulder pain.
A surgeon can fix such soft-tissue injuries via arthroscopy either by removing a part that is causing impingement, repairing tears with sutures or reconstructing a completely torn tendon.
Recurrent Shoulder Dislocation
The shoulder is a ball and socket joint. An intense injury can lead to damage to soft tissues around the shoulder joint and cause dislocation. Sometimes, the alignment can be corrected with hand manoeuvres (reduction) without surgery. However, if the shoulder dislocates frequently, a surgeon might need to tighten the loose rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons around the shoulder joint.
Meniscus Tears
Each of our knees has two soft protective cushions that sit between bone ends. Each such cushion is called a meniscus. This can get damaged due to an injury.
If a meniscus tear happens and there is the possibility that it can widen over time, a surgeon would trip the edges of the tear via arthroscopy. It would help prevent further injuries.
ACL Tears
ACL injuries are most common among athletes. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL is a knee ligament, which connects one bone to another.
A completely torn ligament needs reconstruction surgery. Reconstruction is done through arthroscopy using a graft. It helps restore the function of the knee. The surgery is called ACL reconstruction surgery.
To learn about the cost, access the following link: ACL surgery cost in Delhi.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
This is a case of nerve compression. A major nerve in the wrist when gets compressed causes numbness, pain and tingling. To treat this condition, a surgeon performs a decompression surgery through arthroscopy.
In this procedure, a nearby ligament is cut and removed to create space inside the wrist so the pinched nerve can release, which is why the surgery is specifically termed carpal tunnel release.
Conclusion
Arthroscopy plays a vital role in treating various joint conditions. It helps orthopedic surgeons operate on a joint with minimum cuts. If arthroscopy weren’t available, surgeons would have no other choice than to do open surgery to treat every joint problem.
Arthroscopic surgeries just take a few hours to complete and always follow fast recovery. There are no major complications. In short, it is an advanced procedure in the medical practice of orthopedics.
Sandy D