Experience with arthroscopic surgery for RA?

Hi Andrew, I might have some insight for you now, Have you seen your Ortho yet? Or is this what you Dr has told you. I have my husband who has had his knee scoped, I am not a professional, I too last winter saw an ortho for a subluxing patella( slipping Knee cap) I suspect if your cartlidge is that bad you may find the ortho may suggest the total knee and be done with it. but as far as the arthro goes they seem to heal quickly and are two little incisions on either side of the knee, the arthro will clean up any floating debris that is causing some of the locking.(debris get caught up in the joint)but as far as my Knee, my ortho said no point down the road i will need a total knee within time no point to scope. Weigh your options, scope can be temporay and that for you might be fine for now.

Hi Andrew,

I'm not sure if this is quite the same thing, but I had a surgical synovectomy done on my right wrist several years ago. The biggest concern about leaving it as it was, was that eventually I would experience more pain (there was little at the time) and that the pannus making the synovium lumpy would impair my ability to use my wrist and fingers.

I had the surgery done. Recovery took about four weeks. Since then I've had no trouble with that wrist, nor has the pannus reformed, though the orthopedic surgeon that did the work warned that it could.

Seems like if you can have this done to your knee in the least invasive manner -- arthroscopy -- it would be worth doing. But you probably want to look at the long term, too, and a knee replacement would not only relieve your pain, but would give you a functioning joint back.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.