要点
- Arthroscopic knee surgeries for wear-and-tear-related cartilage tears were found to provide no more benefit than physical therapy.
- Patients who underwent actual surgery experienced faster onset of osteoarthritis and frequently required total knee replacement.
- While these surgeries decreased by 90 percent in Finland, the decline in the USA has been much slower.
- Expert committees from Europe and the USA recommend trying non-surgical treatments before surgery.
数据一览
Arthroscopic surgery, a common knee operation performed to trim cartilage tears caused by wear and tear, may be worsening patients' conditions rather than improving them. Researchers who followed patients for ten years found no significant difference in benefit between those who had this surgery and those who underwent a 'sham surgery' (placebo) involving only a skin incision.
On the contrary, the actual surgery was found to lead to faster osteoarthritis and a higher rate of subsequent surgeries. In most cases, it was determined that patients ultimately needed knee replacement surgery. This Finnish study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in April, became the first research to show that the procedure in question leaves patients worse off.
Experts state that these types of cartilage tears, frequently detected by MRI in individuals over 50 years of age, are usually a part of natural aging and may not cause pain. Orthopedic associations recommend trying non-surgical methods, such as physical therapy, first. Although the number of these surgeries has decreased in the USA and Finland in recent years, it is reported that the practice varies significantly by region.
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常见问题
- Is this research applicable to all knee surgeries?
- No. The study covers middle-aged and older patients who underwent surgery due to wear-and-tear-related cartilage tears. Traumatic tears caused by acute injuries and causing pain are outside the scope of this research.
- How did the patients' condition change after surgery?
- According to the research, osteoarthritis progressed faster in patients who underwent surgery. Patients generally suffered more pain and their conditions worsened, ultimately requiring knee replacement surgery.
- What is the recommended alternative treatment for patients experiencing knee pain?
- Experts recommend trying non-surgical methods, such as physical therapy, before resorting to surgical intervention. Studies show that physical therapy yields similar results to surgery for these types of wear-and-tear-related issues.