Before surgery
Prior to arthroscopy, standard pre-operative blood and urine tests may be done as well as scans of the affected joint, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography), or an arthrogram (an x ray using dye).

In some cases, you’ll be given an exercise regimen to strengthen muscles around the joint prior to surgery.

Day of surgery
Arthroscopic surgery is preformed at either at a Riverside outpatient surgery center or one of the Riverside hospitals. The surgery usually takes 30 minutes to 2 hours. Most patients are discharged the same day. Depending on the complexity of the procedure and the patient’s condition, a hospital stay is recommended.

For outpatient surgery wear loose fitting clothing to allow for bulky dressings over the surgical site. Bring your pre-fitted crutches or a walker.

You’ll be asked to change into a gown. While you are waiting for the procedure to begin, you’ll be given a mild sedative to relax you. Cloths will be draped so that only the hip injection area is exposed.

The rest of you will be covered. Depending on the complexity of the surgery, you’ll be given general, regional or local anesthesia. You’ll be placed in a position that allows the surgeon to easily reach the injured joint.

After sterilizing the area, the surgeon will make a small incision or incisions in the skin and inject a sterile solution that will expand the joint for better viewing and movement of the instruments. The hip will be irrigated several times during the surgery to remove debris and fluid out of the way. The arthroscope is inserted and while looking at the interior of your hip on the monitor, your surgeon can use tools such as a laser or tiny scalpels to correct or repair problems. Once the procedure is done, the hip is irrigated again and the site of the incision is dressed with bandages.

Afterwards, you’ll be moved to a recovery area to wait for the anesthesia to wear off — which will take a few hours.  You’ll have ice packs placed on your incision site. Once discharged, you’ll need someone to drive you home. Some patients may spend the night in the hospital, if the surgeon believes that their condition warrants it.

After the surgery

• Once home, it will take several days for the incision wounds to heal and several weeks for the joint to fully recovery.
• You can get up and walk around immediately, but you’ll be asked to take it easy the first several days.
• You’ll be offered crutches for comfort, but its up to you how much to use them.
• You’ll need to return to the doctor’s office to have the stitches taken out in about a week.
• You can expect to go back to work and resume daily activities within a few days to a week.

You should feel significantly better. This is the time to work the joint to make it as healthy as possible. While you need to regain muscle strength to support the hip, you must be careful not to overdo it. For this reason, physical therapy at a Riverside facility may be recommended to speed recovery in a safe environment. With the assistance from your physical therapist, you’ll build up strong hip muscles, which can reduce the pain experienced in the future. Strong surrounding muscles support the hip act as shock absorbers and reduce pressure on the weight bearing elements inside the joint.

Related

• Arthroscopy