Treatment

Pediatric Minimally Invasive Orthopaedic Surgery

At Children's National Hospital, we aim to use a minimally invasive approach whenever possible. We are experts in using surgical techniques that will not affect your child's future physical and neurological development.

Arthroscopic Surgery at Children's National

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive orthopaedic surgical procedure that uses small incisions and miniature instruments. We frequently use arthroscopy to treat sports injuries such as:

Ligament tears
Meniscal injuries
Shoulder injuries

Arthroscopy allows us to avoid a more invasive procedure, causing as little disruption to the soft tissue and limbs as possible. There is less pain and the recovery is shorter following an arthroscopic surgery than after a traditional surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Arthroscopic Surgery: What to Expect

Arthroscopic surgery is a broad term that includes many types of orthopaedic surgeries. Every child's surgical experience is different depending on the repair needed, as well as the child's age and general health. Here is a general idea of what you can expect during arthroscopic surgery.

Your child's surgical team will:

Place your child under general anesthesia. He or she will be asleep during the surgery and not feel any pain.
Make a tiny incision in your child's skin.
Insert miniature, pencil-sized instruments into the incision. The instruments have a camera and light attached, sending detailed images to a monitor that the surgeon sees.
Visualize the joint on the monitor, seeing high-resolution images of the operating area (for example, the knee or shoulder joint).
Repair the injury.
Remove the instruments and close the incisions.
Discuss the results of the surgery with you, as well as discharge and follow-up instructions.

Minimally Invasive Orthopaedic Surgical Procedures at Children’s National

In addition to arthroscopic surgery, we offer other minimally invasive surgeries for our young patients. These include procedures for:

Bone fractures and breaks. Our team uses minimally invasive approaches to fix bone fractures while maintaining healthy growth of the bone.
Limb deformities. Minimally invasive techniques allow us to repair angular deformities in limbs without affecting your child's physical growth. For example, we can correct clubfeet by targeting just the problem area and not operating on the entire limb.

Keep in mind that Children's National orthopaedic surgeons are experts in all types of orthopaedic procedures. Sometimes, your child's doctor may decide that a traditional, open approach will offer your child the optimal results. We always have your child's best outcome in mind.