Invasive Surgery Not the Answer for Some with Knee Pain
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iStock/Thinkstock(HAMILTON, Ontario) — Oh, your aching knee!
If you’re in your 50s and suffering from age-related tears in the cartilage that cushions the knee joint, think twice about having arthroscopic surgery to correct the problem.
Doctors at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, warn that while the procedure, also known as meniscal debridement, is still regarded as minimally invasive, it doesn’t work for everyone and complications might occur.
Lead study author Dr. Moin Khan says that in observing more than 800 patients with an average age of 56, those who opted against surgery to repair the minor meniscus tear had no difference in pain or functioning six months-to-two-years later than people who underwent the procedure.
Khan recommend patients in that age group try anti-inflammatory medicine and physical therapy first, which have been shown to be just as effective. However, it’s a different story for people with acute tears of the meniscus.
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