I had a scope a year before my TKR because my surgeon at the time thought I had torn cartilage causing my pain. That is what the radiologist reported from the MRI also. They said I had arthritis, but it was minor. Before the scope, I was warned that it can speed up the arthritis. Quite frankly, I had no idea what that meant, I just wanted my pain to stop. After the scope I had massive swelling that didn't go away. The surgeon unfortunately did not understand what I was going through right away and so my knee was very swollen for quite a while. I don't know if that was a determining factor or not in what ultimately happened. About 6 weeks after the scope, and after being in pain all that time, the doctor finally ordered another MRI. Both he and the radiologist were shocked to find I had avascular necrosis (bone dies) and had completely lost all the cartilage on the inside of my knee joint. I certainly am NOT suggesting this would happen to anyone else, I'm just telling you what happened in my case. Everyone is different. But even with a "simple" surgery like a scope, things can happen that are unexpected. The good news in my case was that I was able to find a much better surgeon who had experience in situations like mine. What no one realized was that I had a LOT of arthritis behind the kneecap. I needed a TKR....maybe from the beginning, who knows? Once I got it, my knee joint stabilized and it feels very strong now. I knew it felt unstable before my TKR, but didn't know why. And, of course, I have NO joint pain now. I think a scope can help in many cases to at least buy some time. In some cases so can injections like Supartz. I took those right before my TKR to get through the Christmas holidays and it helped reduce my limping some. This is a very long post and I apologize. Remember everyone is different and, if you have questions or concerns, talk to your surgeon.
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