Knee arthroscopy surgery at Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital

At Spire Cambridge Lea 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.

At Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, we have wide experience of performing knee arthroscopy in our high-quality facilities. The procedures offered to you will depend on your symptoms or condition. Some of our consultants perform microfracture – where they make small holes in your bones to stimulate cartilage growth.

We also have three laminar flow operating theatres which regulate air flow to minimise the risk of infection.

Finding us

We’re 15 minutes from Cambridge train station, which has direct links into London's King's Cross and Liverpool Street stations. We have free on-site parking for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

All of our 22 consultation rooms are all 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 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: