Knee arthroscopy surgery at Spire London East Hospital

At Spire London East Hospital, we can offer you a choice of expert orthopaedic surgeons who provide high-quality treatments and aftercare that’s personalised to you. We also offer fast diagnosis and treatment in our clean, modern facilities without the wait.

At Spire London East Hospital, we have wide experience of performing knee arthroscopy in our high-quality facilities, including three 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 – 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.

Finding us

We're located just a couple of miles from the M11 and only 20 minutes on the Central line tube to the city of London via Redbridge station. We have free on-site parking available for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

All of our 22 consulting rooms are easily accessible, meaning you shouldn’t have any difficulty if your knee problems are affecting your mobility. Your consultations provide you with a space to talk openly about your needs and hopes from your operation. Your consultant will ensure you’re being offered the best treatment for you. If you don’t currently have a diagnosis your consultant will do the following:

• Discuss what may have happened to cause your symptoms (eg a sports injury or fall)
• Ask about your medical history
• They may recommend using our advanced scanning, imaging and diagnostic technologies to look at your knee to help understand the cause of your pain or mobility issues

Here’s what will happen on the day of your knee arthroscopy:

• You’ll meet your orthopaedic surgeon again and your anaesthetist
• You’ll be given the type of anaesthetic that you’ve agreed with your consultant – either a general, when you’re asleep, or a spinal or epidural, when you’re either sedated or awake but can’t feel anything below your waist
• 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
• They'll then repair damage to cartilage or ligaments, remove loose bone fragments or scar tissue, and may take tissue samples if there’s inflammation

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

It’s common to experience some pain or discomfort, but rest assured that we have a dedicated healthcare team who’ll be able to provide pain relief medication and ensure you’re as comfortable as possible. You shouldn't feel as much pain after an arthroscopy than with traditional surgery, and how long this lasts depends on:

• Your condition or injury
• What treatment (if any) you had
• If you have an ongoing knee disease or injury needing further treatment

After your surgery, your consultant will discuss how your investigation/treatment went, and any future procedures you may benefit from. Typically, you’ll be able to go home later the same day or the day after your knee arthroscopy.

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