I wanted to talk to you today about arthroscopy. Most of you have probably heard the word before. Some of your favorite athletes may have had this procedure done. As a matter of fact, some of your classmates and teammates may have undergone this procedure as well.
You all probably know what torn ligaments and cartilage can do to an athlete's ability to perform. Without those components that hold the knee together, even walking can be painful and almost impossible.
Well, arthroscopy is probably the fastest, easiest and least intrusive way to solve those problems.
First of all, you may be wondering what an arthroscope looks like. It is about four to five mm in diameter. It uses a fiber-optic tube and lenses to produce a high-resolution image on a TV screen.
A tiny incision is made and the scope is inserted into the knee area. This allows us to do two things. First, we can see better. We may use the scope to simply diagnose a problem.
It can also help with surgery itself. The scope will be placed through one incision. Small surgical tools, such as scalpels, can be inserted through another. By making smaller cuts and doing less poking around inside, we can get you back on the playing field faster.
Of course, the best way to stay in the game is to stay healthy. Stretch out well and try to avoid trauma to the knee area with pads. But if something does happen, you now know what arthroscopy can do for you. Any questions?