What is a knee arthroscopy?
Knee arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure where the surgeon inserts a small camera to look inside your knee joint. Your surgeon uses the camera to guide the surgery with small surgical instruments.
It allows the surgeon to view inside the knee joint without a large incision (cut). They can be used to diagnose and treat a wide range of knee problems. Usually they are used in treatment for removing loose bodies in the knee joint or cutting off bone spurs that cause your knee pain.
Image taken from: https://media.healthdirect.org.au/images/inline/original/arthroscopy-illustration-8ee5e5.jpg
Do you need physiotherapy after a knee arthroscopy?
Although a knee arthrocope is minimally invasive compared to other surgical procedures, such as total knee replacement, physiotherapy is generally still recommended.
The aim of physiotherapy is to recover your overall strength and mobility around the knee joint. Because you would have had a period of immobility and pain, and you went through surgery, the surrounding tissues around the injured knee would have gotten weaker and smaller over time.
Ideally after your surgery you should see a physiotherapist to guide your rehabilitation and strength training so that your strength completely recovers. If you do not recover your strength and mobility, it would likely lead to more persistent knee problems in the future.
Meet Amanda!
She is a 60-year-old female who had a right knee arthroscope surgery in 2023 for a meniscus repair. After the surgery, her knee pain initially improved however as time went on, she noticed more pain and discomfort with everyday activities.
When we first saw Amanda, we noticed that the surgery sight looked good however the muscles around her knee were weak and her knee range of motion was not as good compared to her other knee. Amanda was given a specific strength and mobility program to target her quadriceps, hamstring and glutes. She was also given education on pacing strategies and pain management options.
Since the first-time seeing Amanda, she has been consistent with her exercises and showing really good improvements in her knee strength! It is now to the point that she is commencing a return to run program so she can complete all-terrain run next year!
If you or someone you know has had a knee surgery and unsure of where to start, feel free to contact us via the information below!