Ankle Arthroscopy – In this video we look at what it is like to have an ankle arthroscopy to examine and clean the ankle joints. The Ankle arthroscopy is a surgical procedure where a fiver optic camera and other small surgical tools are inserted in and around the ankle through small cuts. This procedure is used for many different reasons including examining the joints, examining the ligaments, removing debris, removing excess bone and a number of other reasons.
Having an Ankle Arthroscopy is much better than open surgery as the recovery time is reduced and the whole operation is much simpler and often quicker.
There are some risks of having an Ankle Arthroscopy but these are very low. Some risks can be the anaesthesia it’s self, numbness, bleeding and local serve damage.
The procedure usually starts with fasting from a time in the evening before the operation. On arrival in hospital, you will be peeped for surgery and your surgeon will usually go over the operation, risks and what will happen during your stay. When ready, you will be taken down to the operation room where you will have a needle in your hand and then you will go to sleep. When you wake, you will be in the recovery room and you may be given pain relief injections until any pain is stabilised. Sometimes you would have had anaesthetic injected into he joint which may mean you cannot feel your foot. Once awake you will be taken back to the ward where you can usually be allowed to eat and drink.
Depending on the advice of your surgeon, you may or may not be allowed to weight bear on the ankle and you will need to use crutches for a while. Sometimes you may be placed in a cast or have a Aircast boot fitted so you cannot move the joint.
When I had my Ankle Arthroscopy operation, it was on both feet which was painful and movement was restricted. I was allowed to weight bear but walking was difficult for a few weeks. Pain levels for me were fairly high but this is not always the case and there were other problems with both ankles which were aggravated by the operation.