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A fake surgical procedure is just as good as real surgery at reducing pain and other symptoms in some patients suffering from torn knee cartilage, according to a new study that is likely to fuel debate over one of the most common orthopedic operations.
As many as 700,000 people in the U.S. undergo knee surgery each year to treat tears in a crescent-shaped piece of cartilage known as the meniscus, which acts as a shock absorber between the upper and lower portions of the knee joints. The tears create loose pieces of cartilage that doctors have long thought interfere with motion of the joints, causing pain and stiffness.
This doesn't surprise me. I had it done and after being in pain for a couple days from the surgery, my knee has been no better or no worse. From talking to other people who have had the procedure, it seems it is most beneficial for people who have locking from a loose piece of mensicus. I did not have any locking.
Tore right medial meniscus at age 62 doing leg lifts. Three days later I was able to jog uphill. Started jogging on flat terrain a week later. The only difficulty was walking downhill but this was slowly improving as time passed. Had meniscus surgery anyway where 20% of the meniscus was shaved off and the remainder smoothed off. I'm convinced that the surgery wasn't necessary.
Subsequent research revealed that many orthopods believe that meniscectomy is necessary only if your tear results in a meniscus flap or parrot peak. The loose flap apparently gets trapped whenever you flex the knee and is extremely painful. However, most of these MDs won't recommend against surgery even in the absence of a flap. The surgery provides them with a nice chunk of $$$ and is apparently relatively simple.
My torn meniscus was repaired and 20 yrs later is as good as new, with all the pain gone.
This article does not discuss a meniscus repair. The patients had a meniscectomy done, which removed part or all of the meniscus but does not attempt to repair it. A meniscectomy is much more common. A repair can only be done if the meniscus tear is located in the periphery of the meniscus, is not always successful and requires a long rehab of up to 3-4 months. With a meniscectomy, you can typically resume normal activities in a few days.
Sorry, I had the meniscectomy. I was up and wakling with only some knee flexes in a day.
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