Recovery

Recovering from an arthroscopy

It can take from around 1 week to several months to recover fully from an arthroscopy.

This can depend on a number of factors, such as:

The staff at the arthroscopy unit will be able to give you more detailed information.

Your recovery plan

You’ll usually get a written recovery plan before having an arthroscopy.

You may also have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon after your arthroscopy, where they can make changes to the plan if needed.

The plan will cover when it is safe for you to:

Generally, you are ready to drive again if you can safely perform an emergency stop and your arms are strong enough to control the steering wheel.

You may need to tell your insurance company about your surgery.

Exercise

Exercise is an important part of your recovery plan.

You may get an information sheet with a series of daily exercises to do at home.

In some cases you may also be referred to a physiotherapist for a few weeks, for further help and support with exercise.

Page last reviewed: 1 August 2019
Next review due: 1 August 2019