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Monday, May 12, 2008 monkey asks

Q: will i ever be pain free after orthoscopic surgery due to osteoarthritis?

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Answers (2)
5/29/08 10:56am

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

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6/10/08 8:44am

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.

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12/ 7/09 6:16pm

I had orthroscopic surgery when I was 13 because my knee cap would dislocate simultaniously. The doctor removed the pieces of broken cartliage and didn't realize how bad it was until he was perfoming the surgery. He told me, I would probablly need a full knee replacement within 10 years. I am now almost 21 years old, and have knee pain every day, and can feel and hear my knee grinding together when I lift it. I'm afraid to have a full replacement in fear that I may be worse off than I am now. Should I deal with the pain for now and wait until further damage occurs, or see a surgeon about the next possible step? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :)

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