Unnecessary Procedures?

Knee Surgery vs. Physical Therapy

A recently published study from the British Medical Journal looked at the long-term (2 yr) outcomes of patients who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy vs. Physical Therapy (PT) for their degenerative meniscal tear. The results indicated that PT (exercise) is as effective as surgery in the long term and in the short term leg strength was improved to a greater extent in the PT group. This is the latest study bringing forward the idea that some surgical procedures continue to be performed despite strong available alternatives. This is eloquently expanded on in a recent New York Times Article.