Our knees are highly important to retaining an active and fulfilled life. It is often only when an issue occurs that we really appreciate the work they do. Because our knees are made of a complex network of bones, tendons, muscles and ligaments, problems do arise when these elements don’t work together in harmony. Surgery is sometimes necessary as the best treatment, however for many cases it is possible to be seen as an outpatient where you can recover at home.
Knee surgery – when is it necessary?
The severity of knee pain varies from person to person. Sometimes knee pain can be relieved and eliminated with non-invasive treatments such as injections, orthotics, braces, targeted physiotherapy or just simple rest. Typically, these options would be explored before any type of surgery is recommended.
However, in some cases surgery will be the best solution to restore functionality and minimise the risk of future complications.
Conditions that may require knee surgery include:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Injuries and fractures
- ACL Tear
- Meniscus Tear
Read more common causes of knee pain
Diagnosis will be carried out by an orthopaedic specialist using common methods such as X-ray, Ultrasound, CT scans and MRI scans.
Once the nature of the issue is determined, then the best treatment option can be recommended to you.
Outpatient versus Inpatient
Historically, the prospect of knee surgery was daunting as most required a hospital stay of perhaps three or four day with often an expected recovery times of a couple of months.
Nowadays many knee surgery operations are not invasive in nature, and are performed using key-hole surgery, a procedure known as arthroscopy.
This means an increasing number of people suffering with knee pain can be treated as an outpatient.
Minimally-invasive knee treatments are now highly successful and are a safe way for knee pain sufferers to quickly get back to good health.
Read more on minimally-invasive knee treatments
Knee surgery as an outpatient
Significant medical advances means that in many cases your time in hospital as an outpatient is just a few hours.
Key-hole surgery is performed by an orthopaedic surgeon and you are free to return to your home later that day.
Recovery time for this type of surgical procedure can be as short as one week.
It is important to remember that each case is different and only assessment by a specialist will determine the estimated recovery time for your particular case or condition.
An growing number of patients today are able to benefit from outpatient knee surgery.
When outpatient surgery may not be suitable
Before any surgery, careful screening is required to determine the course of treatment that best suits your condition.
For example, things that will be considered are:
- Age – outpatients are generally under 65 years old
- General health
- Other chronic medical conditions, such as hypertension
- Weight – obesity could mean outpatient surgery isn’t suitable
Whilst more and more people are suitable for knee surgery as an outpatient there are still times when a hospital stay is required, where you can recover under observation by medically trained professionals.
Even so, procedures are advancing all the time and recovery periods are shortening as new techniques become available.
If you are suffering from knee pain, speak with a specialist orthopaedic doctor who can carry out the necessary diagnosis and discuss potential treatment options.
It could be that your knee pain can be relieved by a simple outpatient procedure that typically results in a quick and full recovery to optimum health.
