If you’ve been diagnosed with a joint condition but are concerned about undergoing surgery, you’re not alone. The thought of staying in the hospital, a lengthy recovery, and noticeable scars can be daunting to anyone.
The good news is that there’s a way to mitigate these issues, giving you relief from your joint condition with a smoother, quicker path to recovery: minimally invasive surgery.
At his private practice, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon Kevin Park, MD, is an expert at using minimally invasive surgery to provide significant results for patients in Houston, Texas, with joint troubles.
With minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Park uses special instruments and state-of-the-art techniques to perform surgical procedures through tiny incisions. Examples of minimally invasive joint surgeries include arthroscopic knee surgery, shoulder rotator cuff repair, and hip arthroscopy.
This approach offers many advantages over traditional surgery methods, such as less tissue damage and lower overall risks, making it a popular choice among surgeons and patients alike. Keep reading to learn about five essential benefits of minimally invasive joint surgery.
One of the biggest advantages of minimally invasive surgery is the substantial reduction in bleeding during the procedure.
Traditional open surgery requires larger incisions, which can lead to more significant blood loss. In contrast, the smaller incisions we use in minimally invasive procedures mean less disruption to the tissues and, as a result, less bleeding.
This not only makes the surgery safer for you, but it also reduces the likelihood of complications related to blood loss, such as the need for transfusions.
Let’s face it: No one likes to experience pain. Unfortunately, it's natural to expect some level of discomfort or pain after surgery.
But minimally invasive joint surgery turns the tables. Because of the smaller incisions and less tissue damage associated with this type of surgery, patients usually experience significantly less pain after their procedure.
This reduced pain not only makes the recovery period more comfortable but also reduces your need for or dependence on pain medications, which come with their own set of unpleasant side effects.
Gone are the days when surgery meant an extended stay in the hospital. With minimally invasive joint surgery, we can perform many procedures on an outpatient basis, meaning you can return home the same day.
Even when an overnight stay is necessary, it’s significantly shorter after minimally invasive surgery than the traditional surgery recovery time.
This means that not only will you be more comfortable in your own bed, minimally invasive surgery reduces your health care costs and lowers your risk of a hospital-acquired infection.
A lengthy recovery period can be a significant hurdle, especially if you’re eager to return to your normal daily routine. Minimally invasive joint surgery significantly shortens this timeline.
Less tissue disruption and reduced bleeding provides faster healing, so you feel like yourself again more quickly.
This quicker recovery isn’t just about getting back to work or your daily activities — it’s also about reducing the risks associated with prolonged inactivity, such as blood clots or muscle atrophy.
A faster recovery also means you’ll be back to your normal activities before you know it. The approach reduces the overall impact of the procedure on your body, so you’re able to return to work, exercise, and hobbies much sooner than traditional surgery would allow.
If the thought of living with large, visible scars post-surgery is unsettling, minimally invasive joint surgery addresses this concern head-on.
That’s because the technique’s use of smaller incisions not only serves functional benefits but also cosmetic ones. After your skin fully heals, you can expect minimal scarring, and for many, the surgical scars may be barely noticeable, depending on location and skin type.
If you’re considering joint surgery and want to know more about the benefits of a minimally invasive approach, schedule an appointment by calling our Houston, Texas, office.
