Knee Arthroscopy / Keyhole Knee Surgery

What conditions may benefit from knee arthroscopy?

Knees that give way (meniscal tears/ligament injuries)
Knees that get stuck in a position (locking) (meniscal tears/loose fragments of cartilage or bone)
Pain around the joint after an injury (meniscal tears)
Pain at the front of the knee (chondromalacia patellae, softening and fraying of cartilage of the knee cap)
Early arthritis may benefit if there are mechanical symptoms such as locking and giving way of the joint
Abnormal tracking of the patella (knee cap)

Your Recovery, Week by Week

Day of Surgery

Day case procedure; full weight bearing and physiotherapy are usual from day 1, though meniscal repair may require a period of non-weight-bearing instead, depending on the repair performed.

Weeks 1-4

Focus on range of motion and swelling control; wounds checked and sutures removed at 2 weeks; normally about 2 weeks off work, or 6 weeks for manual labourers.

Weeks 4-8

Strengthening and stability exercises take over as the main focus.

Around Week 8

Gradual return to sport begins, starting with non-impact activity and progressing as pain allows.

Complications

These are fortunately very rare and when they do occur are relatively minor:
Infection: there is less than 0.5% risk of an infection and can generally be managed with a short course of antibiotics, more serious infections are much rarer but may require return to theatre to have the knee washed out with saline.
Bleeding: it's common for the wounds to leak blood onto the dressings in the first 1-2 days but this should stop after that period. Major bleeding is extremely rare.
Stiffness/swelling and bruising: it's common to be swollen and stiff for the first 6 weeks after arthroscopy but this will improve with physiotherapy and gentle exercise.
Damage to small nerves at the wound site: you may experience some numbness around the scars for some time after the surgery.