Year: 2013  Study type: RTC  

Herrlin S, Wange P, Lapidus G, Hållander M, Werner S, Weidenhielm L. Is arthroscopic surgery beneficial in treating non-traumatic, degenerative medial meniscal tears? A five year follow-up. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 2012;21(2):358-364.

Objective

To investigate if a combination of arthroscopy and exercise therapy compared to exercise therapy alone is a superior treatment method in non-traumatic, degenerative medial meniscus tears in a 2 and 5 year follow-up.

Methods

69 patients with MRI verified degenerative medial meniscus tear and radiographic osteoarthritis grade ≤1 were randomly assigned to either arthroscopic treatment followed by exercise therapy for 2 months or to the same exercise therapy alone. Follow-up at 24 and 60 months. 

Main outcomes: KOOS, Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, Tegner Activity Scale and pain (VAS).

Outcome

Both groups showed highly significant clinical improvements from baseline to the follow-ups at 24 and 60 months on KOOS, Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale and VAS however, no group differences were found at any of the testing occasions.

The findings support the use of exercise therapy as initial treatment of degenerative medial meniscal tears as arthroscopic surgery followed by exercise therapy was not superior to the same exercise therapy alone for this type of patients.