Knee Arthroscopy

It is a sub-speciality branch which deals with pathologies of knee joint such as meniscus tears, cartilage lesions, lower limb mal-alignment in order to prevent or delay the arthritis of the knee joint. Many knee problems, if not addressed on time, predispose the joint to arthritis in young age. When the arthritis reaches its advanced stages, arthroplasty or joint replacement remains the last resort to relieve patient’s symptoms. Joint replacement in younger age group has its own share of problems and complications. ‘Knee preservation’ plays a crucial role in preventing this.

To address the knee pathologies at the right time in order to prevent or delay the arthritis of the joint and hence the eventual need for a joint replacement surgery. As the name suggests, the aim is ‘to preserve and restore the native joint’.

Knee preservation includes both conservative and operative treatments. Conservative treatments involve physiotherapy, bracing, and orthobiologics. Physiotherapy strengthens specific muscle groups, stretches tight muscles, and maintains joint mobility. Bracing can offload the affected part of the joint in certain cases.

Orthobiologics involves injecting specific substances into the joint to promote healing of damaged tissue. These include Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP), Bone marrow aspiration concentrate (BMAC), and adipose tissue-derived stem cells. These substances provide growth factors and precursor cells that prevent tissue breakdown and accelerate healing.

Operative treatments for knee preservation include both open and arthroscopic surgeries. Open/Mini-Open surgeries: These involve correcting lower limb alignment with an osteotomy to offload the affected knee compartment and cartilage restoration procedures like OATS (Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System) and ACI (Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation). Arthroscopic surgeries: These include meniscus repair and cartilage procedures such as chondroplasty.