Knee Surgery for Torn Cartilage Not Worthwhile for Older Adults

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found it is unlikely that many middle-aged and older adults with torn cartilage and pain in their knee will benefit from arthroscopic surgery, reports Newsmax Health . Analysis of 10 previous clinical trials that randomly offered some subjects knee surgery and others nonsurgical options determined knee surgery to be no better than exercise and medication for improving physical function, and led to only a small reduction in pain. In a subgroup of participants lacking knee pain from arthritis in their knee, surgery seemed moderately better than physical therapy for reducing pain from the tear. "Surgery does not work for everyone but in selected cases we show that surgery should be available to subjects," said the University of Oxford's Simon Abram. "In most circumstances, subjects should try physiotherapy first. If this does not improve symptoms, knee surgery may be beneficial, especially in persons without osteoarthritis and with specific symptoms."