Arthroscopic knee surgery for arthritis not effective, study finds
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 23:07
in Health & Medicine
After two years, there was no difference between participants who had undergone the procedure and those who had not. The research confirms the results of a 2002 study. Arthroscopic knee surgery for arthritis -- a procedure performed hundreds of thousands of times a year -- does not reduce joint pain or improve knee function, according to new research released Wednesday.The study of 178 adults with moderate to severe arthritis found that the surgery, in which damaged bone and cartilage are removed through tiny incisions, had no benefits beyond nonsurgical treatments, such as physical therapy.