Fresh approach needed for torn cartilage repair

Knee surgery to repair torn cartilage are no better than placebo ops, suggests research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The Finnish Degenerative Meniscal Lesion Study (FIDELITY) compared surgical treatment of degenerative meniscal tears to placebo surgery. A year after the procedure the 146 study participants (aged 35 years to 65 years), both those in the group who underwent surgery and the ones in the placebo group, had an equally low incidence of symptoms and were satisfied with the overall situation of their knee.

“These results show that surgery is not an effective form of treatment in such cases,” says Prof Teppo Järvinen who was involved in the work. “We should question the current line of treatment according to which patients with knee pain attributed to a degenerative meniscus tear are treated with partial removal of the meniscus, as it seems clear that instead of surgery, the treatment of such patients should hinge on exercise and rehabilitation.”