If you have you have a meniscal tear, you may need arthroscopic knee surgery
There are different reasons for performing knee arthroscopy.
If you have a meniscal tear, it may be causing you a catching or ‘grabbing’ type pain, particularly when you pivot to change direction, climb stairs or in bed at night. It may also cause locking of the knee.
In patients with a tear that can be repaired (not all tears are reparable) you may need an arthroscopic repair to try and preserve the knee joint
In patients with arthritis underlying the meniscal tear, non-surgical management can often be trialled first because the meniscus protects the joint against further damage (“arthritis”) and cutting the tear out may in some cases accelerate this damage.
Some patients may respond to physiotherapy and/or injections. Alternatively, you may need arthroscopic surgery.
Anaesthesia for knee arthroscopic surgery is usually a short general anaesthetic. The operation only takes 20-40 minutes in most cases.
To begin, Dr Connon will make two 1cm incisions at the front of the knee.
One is for the camera to get a good look at the knee joint, and the other is for instruments that can be used to repair or trim the meniscal tear.
Arthroscopic knee surgery is generally day surgery. The day surgery team will make sure you are comfortable walking (either with or without the assistance of crutches) and give you some tablets in case you need them to treat your discomfort. If you’ve had a repair, you may have a brace on and need to use the crutches to minimise your weightbearing. If your meniscal tear has simply been trimmed, you will be able to walk normally.
When you go home you should rest for the rest of the day and then start slowly walking normally the following day. Don’t overdo it with exercises initially to allow the swelling to settle.
You can slowly start to progress your physiotherapy exercises after the 2 week wound check.
The day surgery team will make sure you are comfortable walking (either with or without the assistance of crutches) and give you some tablets in case you need them to treat your discomfort. If you’ve had a meniscal repair, you may have a brace on and need to use the crutches to minimise your weightbearing. If your meniscal tear has simply been trimmed, you will be able to walk normally.
After 2-3 weeks, your wound will be checked (usually by a specialist wound nurse). Dr Connon will normally use dissolving suture, so no suture removal is likely to be required. After your wound review you should arrange to see your physiotherapist to begin post-operative exercises.
By this stage you should be getting back to a more normal existence, particularly if you had a meniscal debridement (“trim”) rather than a repair. If you have a brace from a meniscal repair, you will be able to remove that brace at this point and weight-bear normally though you should still avoid deep squats. If you were wearing a brace you can return to driving at this point. Some patients may be able to drive earlier than this, notably following a left knee arthroscopy if you have an automatic car.
Dr Connon will always put your health first and will discuss the potential risks of surgery with you before you book in for any procedure. Before surgery, Dr Connon will assess any risks involved with your current medications, medical history, and require your skin to be healthy. He may also organise a review by a perioperative doctor to optimise your general medical health and monitor you postoperatively if you have multiple other health problems.
Some risks present themselves only after surgery, such as infection and DVT. Please don’t hesitate to call Dr Connon’s rooms if you have any postoperative concerns.
