12
Sep

Study: Surgery does not help knee osteoarthritis!

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Via: foodconsumer.org

The routine knee surgery neither provides any pain relief nor improves knee function in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to a new study published in the Sep. 11th issue of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

“This study provides definitive evidence that arthroscopic surgery provides no additional therapeutic value when added to physical therapy and medication for patients with moderate osteoarthritis of the knee,” said study co-author Dr. Brian Feagan, Clinical Trials Director at the Robarts Research Institute and professor of Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario.

Osteoarthritis affects an estimated 27 million Americans and one in every ten Canadians. Knee osteoarthritis leads to 418,000 knee replacement procedures annually and in 2006 accounted for 496,000 hospital discharges and spent $19 billion in hospital charges, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study followed for two years 178 men and women at an average of 60 who lived in London, Canada and had moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee. All patients received physical therapy and medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen and 86 percent of them also received surgery consisting of lavage and arthroscopic debridement.

The researchers found all patients improved their condition with regard to joint pain, stiffness, and function. But surgery did not offer any additional benefit.

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2 Responses to “Study: Surgery does not help knee osteoarthritis!”


AdmiralTact July 1, 2011

Are the authors of this piece even cognizant of the difference between “knee replacement procedures” and “lavage and arthroscopic debridement”?

Is the conflation an intentional attempt to disparage knee replacement, or simply the result of ignorance of the difference?