Although the doctor that performed the surgery is the best person to address that question in regards to you personally, I can provide some general information about arthroscopic surgery and osteoarthritis. 

Osteoarthritis of the knee, by definition, involves breakdown of the cartilage that makes up the joint surfaces in the knee.  The symptoms that people experience can vary quite a bit.  Some people may have pain or swelling with activity, while others may have occurrences of catching or locking when moving the knee in certain positions.  Depending on individual factors that are determined with an office visit with the doctor, it may be determined that arthroscopic surgery is the next step in treatment.  When surgeons perform arthroscopic surgery of the knee, they are able to see the extent of cartilage damage, remove loose bodies (free-floating tissue that may be causing symptoms), and evaluate the other structures in the knee that may be causing symptoms, among other things. 

Whether or not arthroscopic surgery will result in pain relief depends on many factors, and depends on the findings of the surgery.  After surgery, some pain and swelling can be expected, and the doctor will monitor recovery and discuss the findings with the patient.  Since this can vary greatly for individual patients, it is best to discuss the results with the doctor.

Thank you for your question!

Matt

I had orthoscopic surgery twice in my left knee, resulting in the complete removal of all cartilage.  This resulted in so much pain I had to have a complete knee replacement, which is not pain free.