Following shoulder arthroscopy there will be a significant amount of swelling in the shoulder this is due to the surgery itself but mostly due to the arthroscopy fluid that is used to expand the joint and help visualization it is not uncommon for the swelling and bruising to travel down the arm into the forearm and hand and also into the chest. During arthroscopy your surgeon inserts the arthroscope and small instruments into your elbow joint your surgeon will first fill the elbow joint with fluid the fluid helps your surgeon more clearly see the structures of your elbow through the camera on the arthroscope. Arthroscopy is a way to find problems and do surgery inside a joint without making a large cut incision your doctor put a lighted tube with a tiny camera called an arthroscope or scope and surgical tools through small incisions in your elbow you will feel tired for several days. Shoulder arthroscopy is a surgical procedure often performed for minimally invasive treatment of a number of different conditions shoulder arthroscopy is often performed for treatment of rotator cuff tears labral tears and shoulder bursitis arthroscopic procedures are also sometimes used for the treatment of early shoulder arthritis