Recent advances have made arthroscopy an effective tool for correcting many knee problems. According to the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, more than 4 million knee arthroscopies are performed worldwide each year.

Knee arthroscopy is most commonly used for:

• Removing or repairing torn meniscal cartilage
• Reconstructing a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
• Trimming torn pieces of articular cartilage
• Removing loose fragments of bone or cartilage
• Removing inflamed synovial tissue

Recovery from knee arthroscopy is much faster than recovery from traditional open knee surgery. Unless you’ve had a ligament reconstruction, you should be able to return to most physical activities after six to eight weeks, maybe even sooner.