You will need to lie still and move as little as possible during the procedure. Your doctor will give you numbing medicine, so you will feel little pain. You may be put to sleep with anesthetic medication. An elastic bandage will be wrapped tightly around your leg and foot to help drain blood from your leg. A rubber cuff may be put around your leg to slow the flow of blood into your ankle.
Doctors sometimes pump liquid into the ankle joint to further decrease blood flow to the ankle.
Your doctor will then make a small hole in the skin at your ankle and put the arthroscope through it. In some cases the arthroscope may have to be inserted into a second area of your ankle. During this part of the procedure, you may feel pressure or a thumping sensation. Your doctor may repair or remove some of the tissue in your ankle joint. Your arthroscopy will take about 30 to 45 minutes.