Arthroscopy VS Knee Replacement Surgery

When conventional treatment for knee pain fails to work, people who suffer from chronic, severe knee pain often have to decide between two treatment approaches: arthroscopic surgery or knee joint replacement. Deciding on knee replacement or arthroscopic surgery is an important one, and patients should understand the differences between the two procedures before proceeding further.

Arthroscopic Surgery vs Knee Replacement

Arthroscopy and knee replacement are the quite different procedures since one procedure preserves our natural knee joint, while the other replaces the parts of the knee joint with artificial parts.

Another major difference is also their approaches. The size of the incisions made during these procedures varies greatly. Arthroscopic knee surgery is a less invasive surgery, and it involves making three small incisions in the knee joint, each one about the centimetre long. 

On the other hand, knee replacement surgery is completely  opposite; it is an open surgical procedure. A long incision required to be made over the centre of the knee to expose the entire joint during the replacement surgery.

In addition, knee replacement surgery can also be done with minimally invasive methods or in the traditional technique. Remember, even minimally invasive knee replacements are still consider open surgeries. The procedure still not considered an arthroscopic knee joint surgery. 

Therefore, the minimally invasive procedure also differs from arthroscopic surgery and knee replacement surgery. However, the scar resulted from the incision in minimally invasive knee replacement surgery is comparatively smaller compared to traditional knee surgery.

Arthroscopic Surgery or Knee Replacement

People suffering from chronic knee joint pain and osteoarthritis probably consider this surgery. They should decide whether to can have arthroscopic surgery or knee replacement surgery. Arthroscopic knee surgery involves resurfacing the damage joint surfaces that are in contact with one another. 

Should  You Get Arthroscopic Surgery?

In case of knee problems after a conservative (non-invasive) treatment strategy fails, knee arthroscopy can be considered the best option before suggesting knee replacement surgery. There were many reasons for choosing arthroscopic surgery over knee replacement. Arthroscopic surgery is the minimally invasive procedure, and the recovery time is also faster compared to the knee replacement surgery. In addition, the range of motion is also better with the natural knee joint than with the artificial manmade knee joint.

Arthroscopy may not be a viable surgical option in some cases. It is because the disease in the knee joint might have progressed so far that arthroscopic surgery may not resolve the problem. In such cases, patients usually have to undergo knee replacement surgery or have to continue with their conservative treatment options, even if they don’t offer full relief.

For knee arthroscopy treatment in Delhi, or knee joint replacement consult now with Dr. Lalit Bafna, is one of the best arthroscopic surgeons and knee replacement surgeons in Delhi. He has nearly 10 plus years of experience in treating various knee joint conditions ranging from mild to severe.

Make an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon if you want to know more about the knee pain treatments, including arthroscopic surgery and joint replacement surgery.