OrthopedicsArthroscopy in the UAE.
Pricing for Arthroscopy depends on your insurance, so there's no single price to compare. See the hospitals and specialists who offer it below.
Coverage & insurance
Coverage for Arthroscopy
Pricing for Arthroscopy depends on your insurance: see hospitals and specialists who offer it.
View all 23 clinics
- Procedure type
- Keyhole joint surgery under general or regional anaesthetic
- Admission
- Usually a day case; some shoulder and hip procedures stay overnight
- Joints treated
- Knee and shoulder most often, also hip and ankle
- Not a treatment for
- Advanced arthritis، a worn joint surface needs a different answer
What arthroscopy is
Arthroscopy is keyhole surgery on a joint. A small camera is passed through one incision and fine instruments through others, so the surgeon can see inside the joint on a screen and repair, trim or remove damaged tissue without opening it. It is used most often on the knee and shoulder, and also on the hip and ankle. Common reasons include a torn meniscus, a rotator cuff tear, loose fragments of cartilage and impingement. Importantly, arthroscopy repairs tissue. It does not replace a worn-out joint, and it is not an alternative to a joint replacement in advanced arthritis. Most arthroscopies in the UAE are done as a day case under anaesthetic.
Why there is no price to compare
Two reasons. First, insurance pays for most arthroscopies in the UAE, so hospitals have nothing to advertise. Second, arthroscopy is not a single product: a diagnostic look inside a knee, a meniscal trim, and a rotator cuff repair with anchors sit under the same word and are meaningfully different operations. Even if hospitals did publish a figure, one number for "arthroscopy" would mislead more than it informed. What this page can compare is which hospitals perform arthroscopic surgery, which insurance networks they belong to, and which licensed orthopaedic and sports-medicine surgeons practise there. Self-payers should ask for a quote that names the joint, the exact procedure and whether implants are included.
Insurance and coverage
Arthroscopy to treat a documented problem is generally covered on comprehensive plans with prior approval. An MRI showing the tear, a record of symptoms and of the treatment already tried usually forms the basis of the request. Purely diagnostic arthroscopy attracts more scrutiny: insurers may ask why imaging cannot answer the question without an operation, and a request can be queried on that basis. Two further points are easy to miss. Injuries sustained in competitive or professional sport can fall under an exclusion in some policies even when the same injury from daily life would be covered. And because arthroscopy is usually a day case, it may sit under your outpatient rather than inpatient benefit, which can carry a different limit and co-payment. Check both with your insurer, and check the hospital is in your network before the consultation.
What to expect
You will usually have a consultation and an MRI before a decision is made, then a pre-operative check while approval is arranged. Most arthroscopies are day cases: you arrive in the morning, have the procedure under general or regional anaesthetic, and go home the same day once you have recovered from the anaesthetic, though some shoulder and hip procedures involve an overnight stay. The incisions are small and usually closed with a stitch or adhesive strips. Recovery depends entirely on what was done: a simple knee tidy-up may allow walking within days, while a rotator cuff repair involves a sling and a structured rehabilitation programme measured in months. Physiotherapy is normally part of the treatment, not an optional extra, so ask what is arranged and who pays for it before the date.
Risks, and when it is the wrong operation
Arthroscopy is less invasive than open surgery but it is still surgery under anaesthetic, with risks including infection, bleeding, blood clots, joint stiffness and, less commonly, nerve or vessel injury. It is also possible for symptoms to persist afterwards. The more important point is suitability: arthroscopy is not a treatment for advanced arthritis. Where the joint surface is already worn, keyhole surgery to tidy the joint has limited benefit and international guidance has moved away from it for that indication. A surgeon recommending it for arthritic knee pain should be able to explain exactly what they expect it to achieve. If you are being offered a scope for long-standing arthritic pain rather than a specific mechanical problem such as locking or a documented tear, that is a fair question to ask, and a second opinion is reasonable.
Choosing a hospital and a surgeon
Start with your insurance network, then look for a surgeon whose practice matches your joint, shoulder, knee and hip arthroscopy are sub-specialties, and volume in the specific procedure matters more than general orthopaedic experience. Check the licence on the regulator’s register. Ask what exactly is planned, what the alternatives are including doing nothing for now, what the physiotherapy programme is and who provides it, and what happens if the findings inside the joint differ from the scan. That last question is worth asking: arthroscopy occasionally reveals something that changes the plan mid-procedure, and you should know in advance what you are consenting to. Facility licence status shown on this site is a licensing check against the regulator’s available records, and not an endorsement of clinical quality or outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does this page show hospitals instead of prices?
Because UAE hospitals publish no arthroscopy prices (insurance pays in most cases), and because arthroscopy covers several different operations, a single number would be misleading anyway. We show which hospitals perform it and which insurance networks they sit in, which is the comparison that actually exists.
Is arthroscopy the same as a joint replacement?
No. Arthroscopy repairs or trims damaged tissue inside the joint through small incisions. A replacement removes the worn joint surfaces and replaces them with implants. They treat different problems, and arthroscopy is not a substitute for a replacement in advanced arthritis.
Is arthroscopy covered by insurance in the UAE?
Usually, when it treats a documented problem such as a meniscal or rotator cuff tear and is approved in advance. Purely diagnostic arthroscopy is scrutinised more closely because imaging may answer the same question. Because it is often a day case, it may fall under your outpatient benefit with its own limits. Confirm with your insurer.
Will my sports injury be covered?
Not always. Some UAE policies exclude injuries sustained in competitive or professional sport, even where the same injury from everyday activity would be covered. If your injury happened in organised sport, read the exclusions in your policy wording and ask your insurer directly before booking.
Is it done as a day case?
Most arthroscopies are, meaning you go home the same day once the anaesthetic has worn off. Some shoulder and hip procedures involve an overnight stay. Your surgeon will tell you which applies, and it is worth confirming because it can affect which part of your insurance benefit is used.
How long is the recovery?
It depends entirely on what was done. A simple knee procedure may allow walking within days and a return to desk work quickly, while a rotator cuff repair involves a sling and a structured rehabilitation programme measured in months. Ask your surgeon for the timeline for your specific procedure rather than for arthroscopy in general.
I have arthritis, will a scope fix my knee pain?
Often not. Where the joint surface is already worn, keyhole surgery to tidy the joint has limited benefit and international guidance has moved away from it for arthritic pain alone. If it is being recommended, ask exactly what mechanical problem it is meant to address and what improvement is expected. A second opinion is reasonable.
Do I need an MRI first?
Usually. An MRI or another scan normally comes before arthroscopy, both clinically and because insurers generally want the imaging as part of the approval request. In many cases the scan is enough to plan treatment without any surgery at all.
Prices are collected from each provider’s own published pages. They are indicative and subject to change. Confirm the final price and what it covers with the provider. Facility licence status is checked against the regulator’s available records; that is not an endorsement of clinical quality or outcomes. This is general information, not medical advice.