What Are Your Knee Surgery Options?
There could be a variety of reasons that your doctor has recommended knee surgery. A tear to the ACL, PCL, MCL, or LCL ligaments could warrant surgery, or even a meniscus tear. You could also have cartilage damage or arthritis that needs to be treated with more than just an injection. Whatever the case, if our doctors recommend surgery to you, it’s because it is the best possible way to get you back to living your fullest life. Our doctors will go over all treatment options with you and provide you with the best possible solution based on the current circumstances. If the best choice happens to be surgery, here are the knee surgery options we offer:
Arthroscopic Surgery
To understand what type of surgery arthroscopy is, let’s go into the meaning of the word. “Arthro” is Greek for “joint” and “skopein” is Greek for “to look”. This type of surgery literally looks within the joint by using a small incision – about the size of a buttonhole – rather than a larger one. A small lens with a camera is inserted near the joint to examine the knee to correctly diagnose the injury to correct the problem. This type of surgery is much more accurate in diagnosing and treatment, and requires little to no pain medications. Arthroscopic surgery is one of the knee surgery options often used for sports related injuries.
Knee Replacement
Also called a knee arthroplasty, a knee replacement is a surgical procedure that helps resurface the knee after injury from joint wear and tear. This surgery helps to repair the parts of the knee joint that have been damaged and to relieve knee pain that cannot be treated by other means. This is one of the more common knee surgery options for patients suffering from arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Minimally-Invasive Surgery
This type of surgery is aptly named because of the much smaller incisions used and less tissue cut during this operation. In a total knee replacement, large incisions (typically 10-12 inches long) and quadricep muscles must be cut to access the knee joint. In a minimally-invasive surgery, such operative means are not taken. This type of surgery offers a shorter recovery period and a smaller surgical scar than other knee surgery options like a total knee replacement.
Surgery under certain conditions can be necessary, and our doctors are here to help you through it all. At Performance OSM, we are here to guide you through your pre and postoperative journey to a brighter future. Our doctors have great bedside manners and treat their patients with care, just read our reviews for yourself. If you are having knee pain and are searching for treatment, contact us today to get more information on your treatment and possible knee surgery options.
Note: These descriptions do not include full details of each surgery. Please see one of our doctors to discuss your options and possible complications that can arise from surgery.