Common knee surgery may lead to osteoarthritis
A popular knee surgery to repair meniscal tears may increase the risk of osteoarthritis and cartilage loss in some patients, a new research says.
The new study focused on the meniscus, a
wedge-shaped piece of cartilage in the knee that acts as a shock
absorber between the thigh bone and shin bone.
The two menisci in each knee also play an important role in joint stability.
Meniscal tears are among the most common knee injuries and surgery is often performed to alleviate pain.
“However, increasing evidence is emerging that
suggests meniscal surgery may be detrimental to the knee joint,” said
Frank W. Roemer from Boston University’s School of Medicine in the US.
For the study, Roemer and colleagues examined
data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative - a large, ongoing observational
study of knee osteoarthritis incidence and progression.
Patients in the study were 60.2 years old on average and predominantly overweight.
The researchers studied magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) examinations of 355 knees that developed osteoarthritis
during a five-year period and a control group.
“We found that patients without knee
osteoarthritis who underwent meniscal surgery had a highly increased
risk of developing osteoarthritis and cartilage loss in the following
year compared to those that did not have surgery, regardless of presence
or absence of a meniscal tear in the year before,” Roemer added.
An alternative to surgery is conservative management.
In conservative management, physical therapy is prescribed to help maintain and restore muscle strength and a range of motions.
Symptoms are commonly treated with ice and non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). — IANS
