Hip Arthroscopy

The arthroscope is equipped with a lens, light source, and camera, which project an image of the joint's interior onto a monitor. This allows the surgeon to identify any damage, assess the type of injury, and fix the issue during the procedure.

Hip arthroscopy is a surgery that is performed through tiny incisions to diagnose and treat various hip conditions such as removing torn cartilage or bone chips that cause hip pain and immobility, repairing a torn labrum, removing bone spurs or extra bone growths, removing part of the inflamed synovium, repairing fractures or torn ligaments, and evaluating and diagnosing conditions with unexplained pain, swelling, or stiffness in the hip that does not respond to conservative treatment.

The surgery is performed under either regional or general anesthesia, depending on the patient's and surgeon's preference. The surgeon makes two or three small incisions around the hip joint, through which an arthroscope is inserted. A sterile solution is also pumped into the joint to expand the area and create room for the surgeon to operate.

The larger image on the television monitor allows the surgeon to visualize the joint directly to determine the extent of damage, so that it can be treated surgically. Surgical instruments are then inserted through other tiny incisions to treat the problem. After the surgery, the incisions are closed and covered with a bandage.

Hip arthroscopy has several advantages over traditional open hip surgery, including smaller incisions, minimal trauma to surrounding ligaments, muscles, and tissues, less pain, faster recovery, lower infection rate, less scarring, earlier mobilization, and a shorter hospital stay. However, there are potential risks and complications involved, such as infection, nerve damage, excess bleeding into the joint, and blood clots.

Patients are advised to take certain precautions to promote faster recovery and prevent further complications, such as taking pain medications as prescribed, using crutches to prevent or limit bearing weight on the operated hip, performing physical therapy exercises to restore normal hip function and improve flexibility and strength, eating a healthy diet and avoiding smoking to aid in faster healing and recovery, and avoiding activities that involve lifting heavy objects or strenuous exercises for the first few weeks after surgery.

Overall, arthroscopy is an important tool in the diagnosis and treatment of hip diseases, and patients can expect a faster recovery with fewer post-operative complications following hip arthroscopy surgery.