Knee injuries can range in severity depending on the source and type of injury. The course of treatment will usually depend on factors such as the following: whether the injury can heal on its own over time with rest, icing, the use of NSAIDs such as ibuprofen. In some cases, physical therapy may be necessary to fully treat a knee injury When conservative treatments are not sufficient, an orthopedic surgeon may determine that surgery is necessary to repair the problem. Surgery is usually used to repair ligament tears like that of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury. The ACL is one of the four ligaments that work to provide support and stability to the knee in the joint.
Knee Ligament Repair in Los Angeles
When an orthopedic surgeon determines that surgery is the best course of action, they will either perform arthroscopic or open knee surgery. Arthroscopic surgery, or arthroscopy, consists of making several small incisions around the knee joint, and then going in with a surgical instrument known as an arthroscope, a surgical and diagnostic tool. Equipped with a light and a small camera at the end, an arthroscope allows for a surgeon to see into the knee joint from images projected onto a video screen in the operating room. With this information, a surgeon can better understand the extent of the injury and how severe the tear is. Open knee surgery is the traditional procedure for treating ACL tears, and requires a bigger incision and is more invasive than arthroscopic surgery. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eric Millstein performs arthroscopic knee ligament repair in Los Angeles on a wide range of patients. Some of the major benefits of arthroscopy are that, as a minimally invasive procedure with smaller incisions, there is usually less bleeding and less opportunity for complications, leading to shorter and faster recovery times for many patients. Next, read more about knee pain in Beverly Hills.
