Arthroscopy is a revolutionary surgical technique that has transformed both the operation process and post-surgery recovery. This is a minimally invasive method for treating joint injuries, It enables quicker recovery, reduces post-operative pain, and eliminates the need for open surgery along with its associated risks.

Instituto Cugat pioneered this technique in Spain in the 1980s, following the training of Dr. Ramón Cugat and Dr. Montserrat García Balletbó at Massachusetts General Hospital – Harvard University in Boston, USA, in 1979.

Their training stage in Boston was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Bertram Zarins, one of the leading figures in arthroscopy and sports medicine in the United States. They trained in this field with the goal of returning to Spain to put that knowledge into practice. For this reason, that same year, when Dr. Ramón Cugat and Dr. Montserrat García Balletbó returned to Barcelona, they implemented the acquired knowledge and introduced this technique.

Arthroscopy began to be widely practiced and gained popularity among Spanish doctors. This led Drs. Ramón Cugat and Montse García Balletbó, along with Dr. José García Cugat, to establish the Spanish Arthroscopy Association (AEA) in 1982, with the primary goal of promoting this technique throughout Spain.