Orthopedic Knee Surgeon in Maui, Wailuku, HI

Knee surgeons are most commonly known as orthopedic surgeons. An orthopedic surgeon is a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing, treating, managing, and preventing injuries that affect your musculoskeletal system, with additional expertise in providing surgery. Your musculoskeletal system is comprised of various tissues in your body, such as your bones, cartilage, joints, ligaments, tendons, and other tissues. Thus, your knee is part of your musculoskeletal system.
 
With that in mind, orthopedic knee surgeons can help with various injuries affecting your knee, including:
 
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
• Dislocated or unstable kneecaps
• Fractured femur, patellar, or tibia bones
• Knee osteoarthritis (OA)
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears
• Meniscus tears
• Patellar or quadricep tendon tears
• Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears
 
Education and training requirements of orthopedic surgeons include an undergraduate Bachelor of Sciences (B.S.), four years of medical school, and five years in an orthopedic surgery residency program. Many orthopedic surgeons also enroll in a one- or two-year fellowship program to specialize in a specific area of orthopedic surgery, such as knee surgery.

If your knee pain is significantly affecting your daily life, seeing an orthopedic surgeon is a good idea. Orthopedic surgeons do more than provide surgery—they also provide non-surgical treatments for any injury or condition affecting your musculoskeletal system, including knee pain! As such, you do not need to require surgery for knee pain to see an orthopedic surgeon.
 
You can also see an orthopedic surgeon if you have any kind of knee pain that is not improving with basic, at-home care, such as rest and applying ice to reduce inflammation. In this way, orthopedic surgeons provide the same types of services that any orthopedic doctor will, except that they also provide surgery if you need it.

The most common knee surgery is called knee arthroscopy, which is a minimally invasive surgery that involves a small incision and the insertion of a tiny camera to provide visualization of the inside of your knee for the doctor so they can perform the surgery. The size of the incision is comparable to a keyhole. In addition to the camera, the surgeon will also insert small surgical tools through a tube called a cannula.
 
Knee arthroscopic surgery can treat several different knee conditions, including meniscus tears, ACL tears, joint inflammation, knee osteoarthritis, or for removing bone or cartilage fragments. Knee arthroscopy can also be used for diagnostic purposes to visualize damaged ligaments, bones, or other soft tissues.

The length of time it takes to recover from knee surgery depends on the type of surgery you need and the severity of your injury. For example, knee arthroscopy involves a small incision and is a minimally invasive procedure. As such, it takes approximately a week to one month to recover.
 
However, some injuries are more severe and require more invasive surgeries, such as knee arthroplasty, which is also known as knee replacement surgery and involves larger incisions and more invasive techniques. Recovery from knee arthroplasty can take anywhere from six months to one year.
 
Your orthopedic surgeon will ensure you are fully informed of what your knee surgery will entail before going forward with it, including how long the expected recovery time will be.
 
Knee surgery is a big decision to make, so if you still have questions about knee surgery, we’d love to give you more clarity at NorthShore Orthopedics. Our orthopedic surgeon can provide both surgical and non-surgical treatment for knee injuries and conditions. You can learn more about our knee pain treatment options or book an appointment with us through our website or by calling us! We serve patients from Wailea, Kihei, Hana, Lahaina, Kaanapali, Lana’i, Moloka‘i, Oahu, Kaua’i, and Hawai’i Island.