Orthopedic surgery pioneered in the early 1950s by Dr. Masaki Watanabe of Japan to perform minimally invasive cartilage surgery and reconstructions of torn ligaments. Arthroscopy allows patients to recover from the surgery in a matter of days, rather than the weeks to months required by conventional, 'open' surgery. It is a very popular technique. Knee arthroscopy is one of the most common operations performed by orthopedic surgeons today and is often combined with meniscectomy or chondroplasty. The majority of upper extremity outpatient orthopedic procedures are now performed arthroscopically. Arthroplasty is an orthopedic surgery where the articular surface of a musculoskeletal joint is
ISAKOS - International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Asia-Pacific Knee, Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Society (APKASS), European Society for Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) and Sociedad Latinoamericana de Artroscopia, Rodilla y Deporte (SLARD). When a member applies to ISAKOS he will be considered for one of two primary membership categories: Doctors with interest or ability in the fields of medicine or science and who have demonstrated an interest in arthroscopy, knee surgery, and orthopaedic sports medicine shall be eligible. These members are not entitled to vote and are not eligible to hold office. Individuals qualified as orthopedists, musculoskeletal surgeons, rheumatologists or the equivalent, from all countries