Every year, millions of Americans head to the emergency room for treatment of orthopedic injuries. In fact, musculoskeletal injuries are the leading cause of injury-related health care visits in the United States.
While some injuries can be treated with conservative options like physical therapy and medication, more serious or complex musculoskeletal injuries may require surgery.
The good news: Today, many surgeries use arthroscopy, a minimally invasive approach that offers substantial benefits for patients.
Arthroscopy uses small incisions, special instruments, and a tiny camera designed to help your surgeon see inside your body without the need for larger incisions. The camera sends images to a monitor, and your doctor uses those real-time images to perform the surgical procedure.
Our experts at The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre offer arthroscopic surgery for patients with shoulder and knee issues that don’t respond to conservative treatments. If arthroscopy is in your future, here are five important benefits you should know about.
All types of surgery carry some risk of infection. Most infections happen when germs or pathogens enter your body through the incision, especially during the immediate postoperative period, before the incision site is fully healed.
But because arthroscopy uses tiny incisions, the risk of infection is significantly smaller compared to surgeries that use larger incisions.
Reduced risk of infection is one benefit of tiny incisions. Another benefit: Fewer sutures and less scarring. Plus, smaller incisions are a lot easier to care for during the initial healing period.
In addition to using much smaller incisions compared to traditional open surgery, arthroscopy also relies on special surgical instruments.
These instruments are designed to be used through smaller openings, and they also reduce or eliminate the need to cut through tendons and muscle tissue. Less tissue damage means less bleeding during surgery and less swelling afterward.
As noted above, arthroscopy can be thought of as a “tissue-sparing” technique because it avoids damaging healthy tissue. As a result, you also can expect to be more comfortable following your surgery.
Many arthroscopic procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, which means no hospital stays.
With less tissue damage, less postoperative bleeding and swelling, and smaller incisions, most patients can begin physical therapy sooner and return to their regular activities faster. That’s important for athletes and nonathletes alike.
Although arthroscopy offers plenty of benefits, some surgeries require an open technique to allow the surgeon to have more access to the area. Our team can recommend the most appropriate technique based on your injury, your medical history, and other factors.
To learn more about arthroscopy, call the practice in The Woodlands and Conroe, Texas, or book an appointment online today.
