(KNEE ARTHROSCOPY) Why Do I Need Knee Arthroscopy? Your doctor may recommend that you undergo a knee arthroscopy if you’re experiencing knee pain. Your doctor might have already diagnosed the condition causing your pain, or they may order the arthroscopy to help find a diagnosis. In either case, an arthroscopy is a useful way for doctors to confirm the source of knee pain and treat the problem. Arthroscopic surgery can diagnose and treat knee injuries, including: torn anterior or posterior cruciate ligaments torn meniscus (the cartilage between the bones in the knee) patella that’s out of position pieces of torn cartilage that are loose in the joint removal of a Baker’s cyst fractures in the knee bones swollen synovium (the lining in the joint)