Arthroscopy is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the United States. An arthroscopy involves the placement of a thin fiber-optic camera through a 1/4 inch incision into one of your joints. As technology has advanced, and our arthroscopes have become smaller, we can even put a scope into the small joints of our hands and feet.
By far, the most common reasons to consider an arthroscopy is for treatment of:
- Meniscus tears of the knee
- Rotator cuff tears of the shoulder
- Instability or dislocations of the shoulder
- ACL tears in the knee
The arthroscope gives your surgeon a fantastic view of the inside of your joint. We can see far more through a small hole with the arthroscope then we can see during open, more traditional surgery.
Arthroscopy has revolutionized the treatment of many disorders. It also enables us to diagnose a painful condition by simply looking into a joint, even after an MRI or an X-ray was thought to be normal