Surgery or PT for knee pain?
Have you been told your knees are the worst ones your doctor has ever seen? Or that the only way to make your knee feel better is to get surgery?
Did you also get told that in 2002 a study was completed on 180 patients that had knee arthritis. One third of the group underwent an arthroscopic surgery which entailed removing any loose fragments, rough cartilage and any other debris. The second group received lavage with 10 liters of fluid (nothing removed with an instrument). The third group received three 1 cm incisions and no other procedure. Guess what the results were? No significant differences between any of the groups. This study was done in 2002, yet knee surgery is still recommended daily to people costing on average $5,000. That’s the equivalent of 32 physical therapy visits!
A study done in 2018 found the average number of visits to improve knee pain, including dry needling, manual therapy and exercise, was NINE visits. That’s 30% the cost of what you would have paid for surgery.
What if I don’t have arthritis but a meniscus tear? Again, the research provides no evidence for surgery. In 2013 a study began with 2 groups. All individuals had degenerative meniscus injuries with no signs of arthritis on an x-ray. Half of the group underwent an arthroscopic meniscus surgery where the other half had a placebo surgery (a camera was inserted but nothing in the joint was changed). 5 years later the group was revisited, the significant finding? Increased risk of knee arthritis in the group that received actual surgery.
The best evidence for improving knee pain? Seeing a physical therapist.
Next time you are told there is only one option, advocate for yourself. Bring up the research, find a provider who will advocate with you, and ask questions! Experiencing knee pain and aren’t buying surgery as your only option? Give us a call 612-405-8503 or check out our website.
Lexi Noel, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Loon State Physical Therapy
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32855201/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23474796/
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013259
https://journals.lww.com/clinicalpain/fulltext/2018/12000/periosteal_electrical_dry_needling_as_an_adjunct.9.aspx
