When should you have arthoscopic knee surgery?

When everything...: Else does not work. Knee scopes can be very helpful for diagnosed problems. The time to have surgery is when a surgeon you trust has exhausted all other options and has a good idea of what the problem is and how it can be fixed with surgery.

When all else fails: Generally a course of physical therapy and other conservative measures should be tried first before elective arthroscopic knee surgery. However, there are exceptions to this as certain problems are better treated with surgery - find a surgeon you trust and listen to their advice. Also feel free to get a second opinion to see if the advice "adds up.".