When a meniscal tear is diagnosed and conservative treatment options are not viable, arthroscopy is the most effective technique. It is a minimally invasive technique that significantly reduces complications compared to the open meniscus surgery that was used years ago. In addition, this technique allows a faster recovery.
What does meniscus arthroscopy consist of?
In arthroscopy, the specialist in Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery will introduce a small camera inside the joint, making two or three small holes in the skin, allowing the surgeon to see and treat the knee injury. It is considered a minimally invasive technique because it does not require opening the knee, unlike conventional surgery.
When is a partial meniscectomy or meniscal suture chosen?
The menisci are fibrocartilages that are inside the knee, between the femur and the tibia. They receive any impact on the joint, and distribute the loads, so that their conservation contributes to the knee not to wear excessively, something that, in the long run, can unchain in an early osteoarthritis.
Depending on the type of tear suffered by the patient, one surgical technique or another will be applied. The most common are partial meniscectomy (partial removal of the meniscus) and meniscal suture. The specialists, whenever possible, recommend suturing the tear, since this way the meniscus can be preserved intact, in addition to having better long-term results.
However, there is a physiological condition, since the meniscus is a structure that does not have blood vessels, and only those menisci that are broken in the most peripheral area can be sutured, since there is blood supply. Therefore, only a small part of the meniscal tears can be healed with meniscal suture, and in the rest it will be necessary to extract the part that is broken.
How is the recovery after knee arthroscopy?
In all meniscus surgeries, local or spinal anesthesia is applied to the patient and, in many cases, it will be an outpatient surgery, which means that the patient can leave the hospital the same day.
After a partial meniscectomy, the patient will be able to rest the foot on the first day, although a week of rest and rehabilitation are always recommended. A month and a half or two months after the operation, the patient will be able to lead a normal life, which includes playing sports.
After a meniscal suture, on the other hand, the recovery time will be longer, since the patient will have to spend three weeks without being able to support the leg and, after that period, start to support and do rehabilitation.