Covering Shoulder and Elbow, Knee, Wrist, Hip, Ankle, and Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
Shoulder:
The shoulder is a complex joint capable of the most movement with respect to any other joint in the body. It consists of three bones: the humerus which is the upper arm, the shoulder blade or scapula, and the neck bone known as the clavicle. Most shoulder problems are caused by injury, overuse, and age-related wear and tear. With painful conditions that do not respond to nonsurgical therapy, your doctor may suggest shoulder arthroscopy. Nonsurgical treatment requires rest, physical therapy, and inflammation-reducing medicines or injections. Arthroscopy of the shoulder may be performed to alleviate painful symptoms of several conditions harming the tendons, articular cartilage, labrum, and other soft tissues around the joint.
Elbow:
The elbow is a joint that links three bones together which are the humerus, radius, and ulna, all surrounded by smooth cartilage where the bones meet and are held together by interdependent ligaments. Elbow injuries and fractures may lead to severe joint stiffness necessitating arthroscopy to alleviate the pain and stiffness. Amongst fractures and stiffness, this procedure may also be essential for the diagnosis and treatment of complications such as arthritis, tennis elbow, and the removal of loose bodies.
Knee:
Knee arthroscopy is an operation that enables physicians to see the knee joint without creating a prominent incision through the skin and soft tissues. A broad variety of knee complications are diagnosed and treated with arthroscopy. This yields less pain, less stiffness, and usually decreases the time it would take to recover and return to habitual activities while providing minimal scarring as well. Some common knee arthroscopy operations include torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, loose bone or cartilage fragment removal, repair or removal of a meniscal tear, and several other knee and patellar complications.
Wrist:
Wrist arthroscopy is performed as a method to both visualize the condition more sharply and treat complications such as fractures, infections, ganglions, ligament tears, and nerve compressions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. In other words all of the tissues in the wrist such as the tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bones will be examined and repaired in the presence of any damage or injury.
Hip:
For many years, hip arthroscopy has been performed for both diagnostic and treatment purposes. However, it is not as common as arthroscopy of the knee or shoulder. Hip arthroscopy is performed following certain conditions and complications such as an abnormally shallow hip socket (dysplasia), inflamed joint tissue (synovitis), infections, loose bodies, and bone spurs causing an irregular shape of the bones and joint (femoroacetabular impingement).
Ankle:
For the surgical and therapeutic assessment of numerous ankle complications, ankle arthroscopy may be the necessary restorative approach. Amongst fractures, instability, and impingement, ankle arthroscopy may also be the required treatment option in case of a sprained ankle causing damage to the ligament as well as for debris from chipped bone or torn cartilage. Precautions after surgery vary depending on each case and how it is tackled. This includes the extent of pain and swelling, ability to walk immediately or not, and whether or not physical therapy will be needed.
Carpal Tunnel:
The carpal tunnel is a narrow duct through the wrist formed by the wrist (carpal) bones and surrounded by firm boundaries. Through this tunnel, passes the median nerve from the arm to the hand. Otherwise stated, the carpal tunnel serves the purpose of protecting the median nerve. Following conditions such as swelling and narrowing of the tunnel, pressure may be exerted on the median nerve causing numbness, pain, weakness, and tingling sensations in the hand and arm. This is commonly known as carpal tunnel syndrome or in other words the compression of the medial nerve passing through the wrist. This condition may worsen with time and for that reason, the sooner the diagnosis and treatment the better. In early detected cases, the symptoms may be treated with, anti-inflammatory medication, immobilization measures, and restriction from certain activities. In certain cases, stronger anti-inflammatory treatments are necessary which call for the administration of corticosteroid injections in the carpal tunnel for relief. Alternatively and with the absence of relief from non-surgical management, carpal tunnel surgery will become the suitable means of treatment to relieve pressure on the median nerve. This is primarily done by cutting the ligament surrounding the tunnel which increases the size of the tunnel and therefore, decreases pressure on the affected nerve. This procedure is known as carpal tunnel release.