Jeff Podesta has been an avid tennis player for years. He's a competitor, and his knees have paid the price. Ten years ago, he had arthroscopic surgery on both for athletic injuries. And this year, there were more symptoms.
"Tremendous pain from arthritis in both knees," he said. "I'm always on the tennis court, and I needed to make sure I could get back on the tennis court."
Jeff had osteoarthritis, which can cause fraying of the cartilage, and some doctors recommend arthroscopic surgery to clean out the joint and smooth the cartilage. But the new study says that for simple arthritis pain, the surgery works no better than pain pills and physical therapy.
Dr. Lisa Mandl is a rheumatologist. She says surgery doesn't stop the patients' arthritic process.
"They weigh the same, they're doing the same activity, they still may be bow-legged or knock-kneed," she said. "And all the forces causing the joints to deteriorate are still there."
The study compared patients over two years.
There are times when arthroscopy may help in an arthritic knee. That's when there's a second problem in the knee causing pain, such as a torn cartilage which can be repaired through the scope.
Torn cartilage is what Jeff had causing his pain, not his arthritis. Dr. Robert Marx was able to operate successfully and repair the cartilage in both knees.
"I've been very fortunate in the last four weeks that the pain has gone away," Jeff said.
Dr. Marx wrote the editorial on the report. He says there is a place in knee arthritis for surgery, but a different type of surgery.
"Once the arthritis becomes very severe, the appropriate operation is a knee replacement, not arthroscopy," he said.
Non-surgical treatment for knee arthritis can include physical therapy, over-the-counter pain killers, injections and even acupuncture. A brace can be used for sports or other intense activity.
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Here are ways to protect your joints from osteoarthritis or slow
its progression:
Source: Arthritis Foundation.
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For more information, visit Rheumatology.org.
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STORY BY: Medical reporter Dr. Jay Adlersberg
WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
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