Arthroscopic Surgery: Busting The Myth

By Author: Ashok Gupta
Total Articles: 2
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Knee arthroscopy has been commonly recommended for patients with degenerative disease of the knee, like osteoarthritis (OA) or meniscal tears.

However, the results of a recent study by Hare et al.,2013 (1) in the British Medical Journal has blown holes in this belief with their guidelines strongly recommending AGAINST arthroscopy for ‘nearly all’ patients with knee OA or meniscal tears. Detailed data review reveals that historically, knee arthroscopy has been the most common orthopedic procedure performed.

An international multidisciplinary panel including orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologists, physiotherapists, general practitioners, general internists, epidemiologists, methodologists, and people with real-life experience of degenerative knee disease met discuss the evidence.

The Guideline put together by this panel strongly recommends against arthroscopic surgery in almost all patients with degenerative joint disease of the knee, based on linked systematic reviews.

The authors also stated that further research is unlikely to alter this recommendation, further stating that the arthroscopies ...
... performed in patients with degenerative knee disease are used as an indicator of quality care.

This is heartbreaking because the short-lived benefits of pain reduction and increased function post-arthroscopic surgery are greatly outweighed by the financial burden, post-op limitations, and complications.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published by van de Graaf et al.,2016 (2) have strongly suggested conservative treatment as the best line of action for almost all patients with knee degenerative issues as they show benefits on par with arthroscopic surgeries.

https://www.theranow.com/blog/hurting-knees-common-sports-injury