All you need to know about
Hip arthroscopy
As a patient, your number one priority is to completely understand the steps in your surgery.
Available soon…
You are the principal actor of your surgery
You will be the only one present from the beginning to the end of the care process, from A to Z and beyond. In other words, you need to be part of the project. To help you feel an integral part of the surgical team, it is important that you are well informed and know how to communicate with your caregivers.
Symptoms that lead to arthroscopic treatment
The main symptoms are pain and discomfort with any physical activity. Although pain cannot be measured, there are ways to assess it.
The surgeon will ask simple questions about the location of the pain. Its functional consequences (on daily activities, sport) and its control with drugs can be quantified with pain scales.
The symptoms often occur during exercise, but sometimes also after sport. The younger the patient, the more important the impact on work and sport becomes in treatment decisions.
It is your tolerance to this new situation that needs to be considered, over and above any pain scale that may result from a questionnaire.
How long does the operation last?
The operation will take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the extent of the lesions and the procedures carried out. You should allow 4 to 6 hours for those around you who are anxious to get you back to your room. This includes being placed on the operating table, anaesthesia, skin disinfection, the operation and transfer to the recovery room, as well as transport from your room to the operating theatre and back.
Hip pathologies that can be treated by arthroscopy
How does the procedure work?
How will my scar look like?
You will have 2 to 3 scars on the anterior and lateral part of the hip, 5 to 15 millimetres each. A large dressing will be put in place to absorb the arthroscopic fluid injected during the arthroscopy. This will be changed before discharge with more traditional dressings, but leakage may continue for 24 to 48 hours.
Will I be able to do sport?
Sport is good for you. The aim of this operation is to enable you to return to your previous physical activity. It is important to remember that a patient who is good at sports is more likely to return to it than a patient who is new to it. Again, this depends on the age of the patient, the extent of the injury and the length of time since the injury.
However, depending on your age, the extent of your injuries and the length of time your symptoms have been present, it may be difficult to return to the level you had before your hip problems in certain sports that are aggressive on the hip because they involve impact and rotation, such as football, rugby, basketball, volleyball, martial arts, etc.
