Ankle Atroscopy, a minimally invasive surgery

What is arthroscopy?

The word arthroscopy is derived from the Greek words Arthros (joint) and Scopos (vision). The technique consists of the visual exploration of the joint, which is carried out by introducing a small lens to be able to see it without having to open it. Therefore, this way of diagnosing and treating joint injuries is very non-aggressive and patients hardly feel any discomfort.

What kind of injuries does the ankle usually suffer from?

Like any joint in the body, the ankle can present traumatic injuries that affect the bones that form it (tibia, fibula and talus), and injuries to the cartilaginous covering of these bones. In addition, in its periphery there are a large number of tendons that can also be injured. Trauma can cause functional sequelae that limit or impair the faculties of the joint in the form of stiffness, contracture, swelling or pain.

In addition to traumatic injuries, the ankle is also involved in inflammatory conditions of the locomotor system in its various rheumatic, metabolic, neuropathic, endocrinological, vascular, infectious or tumorous alterations.

The ankle has some special characteristics due to its anatomical and functional connection with the foot and because it is a load-bearing joint that works synergistically with the rest of the skeletal structures of the lower body. Even so, in general terms, it does not differ from other joints in the type of pathologies it suffers.

In what cases is the arthroscopic technique applied to ankle injuries?

Arthroscopy was initially used as a diagnostic method, but nowadays there are even less invasive techniques such as resonance imaging. Therefore, it is currently applied in its therapeutic modality as a surgical technique to solve previously diagnosed joint problems.

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Being a relatively new technique, its application as a surgical method depends fundamentally on experience. Not all orthopedic surgeons and traumatologists use it for the same treatments. In expert hands, ankle arthroscopy allows the treatment of most chondral and osteochondral injuries, tendon injuries, synovial injuries and ligament injuries.

Arthroscopy makes it possible to recognize and treat a ligament injury that has gone unnoticed (commonly known as a “badly healed sprain”), a common pathology of the ankle.

What does the procedure consist of?

In general, ankle arthroscopy is performed under spinal anesthesia (from the waist down) and with sedation depending on the patient’s needs. Two or three incisions of between two and three millimeters are made to introduce the optics (the arthroscope) and the different endoscopic tools that will be used to intervene on the lesion. Sometimes a third approach is made to enlarge the working area or to irrigate the joint with serum to distend a particularly narrow joint space. Once the operation has been performed, the incisions are closed with a stitch and a semi-compressive bandage is applied.

How long will it take the patient to recover after the operation?

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows to restore the functions of the operated area in a shorter time and with greater comfort than using other more aggressive surgical procedures. Even so, it is not a miraculous procedure, the tissue recovery times set by our biology must be respected to achieve the right result. In this sense, soft tissue repairs, such as ligaments, require a shorter functional recovery time than bone repairs.