Keyhole surgery allows your doctor to check and treat knee problems.
At Spire Southampton Hospital, we use knee arthroscopy to investigate and treat knee pain and injuries. This includes anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and other ligament injuries, cartilage damage, meniscal (meniscus) tear and osteoarthritis.
Knee arthroscopy is a type of keyhole surgery, which uses an arthroscope (a thin, flexible, telescopic instrument) to investigate or treat knee problems.
Sometimes also called
Typical hospital stay
Same-day discharge or 1 night
Procedure duration
30 minutes to 2 hours
Type of anaesthetic
General, spinal or local
Available to self-pay?
Yes
Covered by health insurance?
Yes
At Spire Southampton Hospital, we can offer you a choice of expert orthopaedic surgeons who are committed to providing high-quality treatments and care. 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 Southampton Hospital, we have wide experience of performing knee arthroscopy in our high-quality facilities, including four 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.
Getting here
We’re a 10 minute taxi ride from Southampton Central train station or 15 minutes from Southampton International Airport, with free parking available.
Your consultations
For your appointments, you’ll meet your consultant in one of our 16 consultation rooms. All of our rooms are accessible, so there’s no need to worry about stairs if your knee is very painful.
If you haven’t been diagnosed yet, your consultant will do the following before a knee arthroscopy:
Your consultations give you an opportunity to discuss your needs and expectations from your surgery. We can then outline a treatment and care plan that’s tailored to you.
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:
If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait in your room or our restaurant while you have your operation.
Your procedure
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:
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:
Leave hospital
Return to work, depending on your job
May be able to drive
Return to heavy work and sports
Leave hospital
Return to work, depending on your job
May be able to drive
Return to heavy work and sports
The treatment described on this page may be adapted to meet your individual needs, so it's important to follow your healthcare professional's advice and raise any questions that you may have with them.
A 10 minute taxi ride from Southampton Central train station or 15 minutes from Southampton International Airport, we provide private hospital treatments, procedures, tests and scans to patients from Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, the Isle of Wight, the south coast of England and the Channel Islands.
Chalybeate Close
Southampton
SO16 6UY
COVID-19 testing or antibody tests are not available as a standalone service at Spire Southampton Hospital.
https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1982
https://www.spirehealthcare.com/treatments/bones-and-joints/knee-arthroscopy-surgery/
https://www.healthline.com/health/knee-arthroscopy
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/knee-arthroscopy/
https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/knee-clinic/treatment-and-care/knee-arthroscopy