Can anyone share their experience of having an arthroscopy please.

[2kidsintow]

I've suffered from hip problems for about 4 years now, and after being put through xrays, 2 lots of physio that made things worse, various referrals and finally getting to see an orthopaedic surgeon I've had a steroid injection which has confirmed it's a joint issue. So I now have an appt for a CT scan and then an arthroscopy.

I'm wondering what your experience of the procedure was like, if you don't mind sharing. It doesn't have to be about hips as I think it's not as common to be done there.

TIA

DH has had a few (really rubbish knees). It very straightforward - GA, 20 mins or so, then recovery, back to ward, eat, drink, on your feet with the physio and out. On straighforward ones, dh was back at work after a couple of days.

The really important thing is doing any recommended physio diligently afterwards

Knee arthroscopy at age 15, day case so home the same day with my parents to look after me

they did find out what was bothering me though so sorted it out at the time, I am not sure how much more painful that made it and whether it prolonged the recovery (they removed a small piece of excess plica? I think that's what it was called, memory from 20 yrs ago lol)

It was done in the summer holidays to allow recovery time, but I still needed a crutch for a few weeks on returning to school. Stairs were the worst. And the physio was ouchy and boring but very necessary and my parents forced me to do it and I'm very glad they did! The scars were small and neat.

I guess for you, it will depend if they are planning to just go in and look, or whether they will resolve any small issues they can fix there and then, rather than having you back in again for another op?

I've had one on my hip.

I have arthritis in my hips and both are replaced now, the idea of the arthroscopy was to delay the replacement. It didn't work though because when the surgeon went in, he was able to see that it needed replacing. So it was useful in that sense.

It was a bit uncomfortable but not too bad, I think had a fortnight off work after and used a crutch for a while.

With hindsight I wish I'd gone straight for the replacement but obviously couldn't have known that at the time.

Good luck with yours, hope it helps

I've had hip arthroscopy too. They put something round your ankle to pull your leg away from your pelvis very slightly, to create room for the camera and what not. I was in for 7 and home by 2. Least horrible surgery I've had, and I've had a few.

I could have written your symptom list about 4 years ago, turns out there's absolutely nothing wrong with my hip, and was actually a muscular imbalance between my hip flexor and arse muscles. Which a very capable accidentally worked out (and fixed) while providing the rehab from my ACL repair

Thanks for all the replies. Really useful.

At my appt with the orthopaedic surgeon, he looked at the 3 year old xray and pointed out that the 'ball' part of the hip joint was not as smooth and as round on one size and he expects that that's the trouble. He mentioned (ages ago when first sending me for my steroid injection) that the bone could be 'shaved a bit' to make it rounder and prevent it causing any more problems.

The steroid injection did provide lovely relief for a while, but I'm back to square one, which in his eyes proves it's nothing to do with the muscles or tendons.

So I'm waiting for a letter with a date for the CT scan and for an appt to see him to discuss things and eventually an appt for the arthroscopy itself.

If it fixes things, it will have been a LOOOOOONG process from start to finish. I'm still fuming that the person at the hospital and then at my GP's who looked at the xrays when they'd first been taken didn't notice the problem before I was sent for 2 useless rounds of physio that exacerbated the problem.