Knee arthroscopy surgery at Spire Alexandra Hospital

At Spire Alexandra Hospital, we provide high-quality aftercare that’s personalised to you for as long as you medically need it. We also offer fast diagnosis and treatment without the wait in our clean, modern facilities.

If you need treatment, we can offer you a choice of expert orthopaedic surgeons who are committed to providing treatments and care that's personalised to you.

At Spire Alexandra Hospital, we have wide experience of performing knee arthroscopy in our high-quality facilities, including two operating theatres with laminar flow. These theatres regulate air flow to reduce the risk of infection.

The procedures offered to you will depend on your symptoms or condition. Some of our consultants perform:

• Autologous chondrocyte implantation which is used to treat painful cartilage defects in your knee – healthy cartilage cells are taken from another part of your body and later injected into the damaged area of your cartilage
• Microfracture – your surgeon makes small holes in your bones to stimulate cartilage growth

Getting here

You'll find us approximately eight miles from Maidstone and five miles from Chatham. The nearest railway station is Chatham, a 10 minute taxi journey away. We have free parking available for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

Your appointments will take place in one of our 13 accessible consultation rooms, so don’t worry if you have difficulty walking.

During your consultations, we'll:

• Ask about your medical history
• Say whether you need an X-ray, and/or an MRI or CT scan so we can examine your knee in more detail – again, all scanning rooms are on the ground floor so easily accessible
• Explain all about what will happen during the procedure
• Tell you about your different anaesthetic options, and help you choose the right one for you
• Answer all your questions about your surgery

Once you and your consultant have agreed to go ahead with your knee arthroscopy, your consultant and your physiotherapist will explain your recovery plan.

On the day

Before your procedure, you’ll meet your orthopaedic surgeon again and your anaesthetist. Depending on what you’ve agreed upon with your consultant, you’ll either have:

• A general anaesthetic so you’re asleep
• An epidural or spinal anaesthetic, when you can’t feel anything below your waist
• A local anaesthetic so you can’t feel your knee

If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait in our lounge or restaurant while you have your operation.

Your procedure

• Your surgeon will make two or more small incisions into your knee then pass the arthroscope (a thin, flexible, telescopic instrument with a light and a tiny video camera on the end) into your knee joint to view it
• Any damage to cartilage or ligaments will then be repaired, loose bone fragments or scar tissue removed or tissue samples collected if there’s inflammation

After your operation, you may go home on the same day or the following day, depending on the time of your surgery and whether you had any treatment.

Although there’s less pain after an arthroscopy than with traditional surgery, you’re likely to feel discomfort once the anaesthetic wears off. How long this lasts will depend on:

• The cause of your knee pain
• Whether you had any treatment during the procedure
• If you have an ongoing knee disease or injury needing further treatment
• Your personal pain threshold

You’ll be given painkillers to help you manage over the following days. Your physiotherapist will give you an exercise plan to help you get active again, plus a guide to how long your recovery will take.

Your consultant may also explain to you what’s been found and whether they recommend further treatment.

Although everybody’s different and you should always follow your consultant’s advice, here’s a typical recovery timeline for knee arthroscopy: