If you have a knee problem, your doctor may suggest a procedure called knee arthroscopy.

It's a way to find and ... if needed ... fix problems inside the knee without making a large cut.

It's called arthroscopy because the doctor uses an arthroscope ...

a thin tool with a camera on it.

To do this procedure, the doctor makes a couple of small cuts ...

incisions ... around your kneecap and puts the arthroscope into one of them.

The camera on the scope sends pictures to a monitor. This lets the doctor look around inside the joint and find what's causing your problem.

Let's say you have a problem that can be fixed with surgery ... like a torn meniscus.

The doctor will put small tools into your incisions to repair or remove the damaged tissue.

Then the incisions are closed with stitches or tape and covered with a bandage.

The whole procedure usually takes about an hour.

Your leg will be moved a lot during arthroscopy, so afterwards, your thigh and calf ... as well as your knee ... will be sore.

You'll get medicine to help ease the pain.

You'll probably be able to go home after a couple of hours in the recovery room.

Depending on what was done to your knee, you may need to use crutches or a brace.

You may be given exercises to do at home. Doing them as instructed ...

and easing into activity ... will help you recover from surgery and get back to normal.