Arthroscopy
Experience precision keyhole surgery with Dr. Vinod Nair. Arthroscopy offers a minimally invasive solution for joint problems like ACL tears and meniscus damage, ensuring smaller scars, significantly less pain, and a much faster return to your active life.
Why Choose Keyhole Surgery?
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Tiny Incisions
Procedure is performed through incisions often smaller than a centimeter
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Faster Recovery
Less tissue trauma means you heal and mobilize weeks faster than open surgery
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Reduced Pain
Minimal muscle dissection leads to vastly reduced postoperative pain and swelling
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Unmatched Precision
High-definition cameras provide a magnified, crystal-clear view inside the joint
What is Arthroscopy?
Arthroscopy, often referred to as "keyhole surgery," is a highly advanced, minimally invasive surgical procedure used by orthopaedic surgeons to diagnose and treat problems inside a joint. Instead of making a large, invasive incision to expose the joint completely, Dr. Vinod Nair creates two or three tiny punctures.
Through one of these punctures, an arthroscope—a pencil-sized instrument containing a high-definition camera and fiber-optic lighting—is inserted. This camera transmits a magnified, real-time image of the interior of your joint to a high-definition monitor in the operating room. This allows Dr. Nair to see the cartilage, ligaments, and menisci with incredible clarity and precision.
If structural damage is found, specialized, miniaturized surgical instruments are inserted through the other tiny punctures. Dr. Nair can then trim torn cartilage, reconstruct torn ligaments (like the ACL), or remove inflamed tissue from the inside out. Because this method bypasses the need to cut through major muscles and tissues, the advantages over traditional "open" surgery are immense.
Conditions Treated with Arthroscopy
ACL Tears
Complete reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the knee using advanced graft techniques to restore knee stability.
Meniscus Tears
Trimming (meniscectomy) or repairing torn knee cartilage to eliminate painful catching, locking, and swelling in the joint.
Rotator Cuff Tears
Reattaching torn shoulder tendons back to the bone to restore arm strength and eliminate chronic shoulder pain.
Shoulder Impingement
Removing inflamed bursae and bone spurs to create more space for the rotator cuff tendons to glide smoothly.
Loose Bodies
Extracting floating fragments of bone or cartilage that get caught in the joint hinges and cause sudden locking.
Synovitis
Removing inflamed joint lining (synovium) caused by rheumatoid arthritis or chronic irritation to drastically reduce joint swelling.
Advantages Over Open Surgery
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Minimal Tissue Trauma
Open surgery requires large incisions that slice through healthy muscle. Arthroscopy slips right past them.
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Lower Infection Risk
Smaller wounds expose vastly less tissue to the outside environment, drastically reducing infection rates.
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Day Care Procedure
Most arthroscopies are outpatient procedures, allowing you to recover in the comfort of your own home the same day.
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Cosmetic Healing
The tiny puncture wounds require only a single stitch and fade into barely noticeable scars.
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Accelerated Rehabilitation
Less pain means you can start physiotherapy much earlier, preventing joint stiffness and muscle atrophy.
Recovery Timelines
logout Discharge
Usually the same day, within a few hours after the procedure is completed and the anesthesia wears off.
healing Wound Healing
The tiny puncture wounds generally heal completely within 7 to 10 days, at which point stitches are removed.
directions_walk Basic Mobility
For a simple meniscus trim, you may be walking without crutches within 2 to 3 days.
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Highly dependent on the specific repair. A meniscus trim takes 3-4 weeks; an ACL reconstruction takes 6-9 months of dedicated physiotherapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about keyhole surgery
Is arthroscopy a major surgery?
While it is a proper surgical procedure that requires anesthesia, arthroscopy is considered minimally invasive. It avoids the large incisions and muscle disruption associated with "major" open surgeries. This translates to significantly less risk, less blood loss, and a much smoother, more comfortable recovery period.
Will I be put to sleep for the procedure?
Most arthroscopic procedures are performed under spinal anesthesia or regional nerve blocks, meaning you will be numb from the waist or shoulder down and heavily sedated, but not completely unconscious. In some specific cases, or based on patient preference, general anesthesia (where you are fully asleep) may be utilized.
How bad will the scars be?
Cosmetically, the results are excellent. The incisions are usually only about 5 millimeters (a quarter-inch) long. They typically require only one small stitch or even just surgical tape to close. Once fully healed, they generally fade into tiny, faint lines that are barely noticeable.
Can all joint problems be fixed with arthroscopy?
No. While it is incredibly versatile for soft tissue injuries like ligament tears, cartilage damage, and removing loose bodies, it cannot treat everything. Severe joint destruction caused by advanced osteoarthritis generally cannot be resolved with keyhole surgery and requires open joint replacement surgery instead.
When can I walk after knee arthroscopy?
If you undergo a simple procedure like removing torn cartilage (meniscectomy), you can often walk on the same day, sometimes without crutches. However, if a complex repair was performed (like ACL reconstruction or a meniscus repair that needs protection to heal), you will likely need crutches and a brace for several weeks.
Do I need physical therapy after arthroscopy?
Yes, absolutely. The surgery repairs the structural damage, but physical therapy is essential to restore your joint's full range of motion, rebuild the muscles that weakened during your injury, and retrain your biomechanics. Dr. Divyani Gawande will guide your post-operative rehabilitation for optimal results.
Experience Faster Recovery
Consult with Dr. Vinod Nair to see if minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery is the right solution for your joint pain.