Valeo Physical Therapy Arlington, Va

Pain Relief

Call to Inquire About Cost & Availability: (703) 493-0180

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Location
  • Solutions
    • Self Treatment Options
    • ValeoFIT
  • Success Stories
  • Valeo Team
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Product Recommendations
You are here: Home / Athletes / For Some Knee Injuries Exercise Works Just as Well as Surgery, Study Finds

For Some Knee Injuries Exercise Works Just as Well as Surgery, Study Finds

December 27, 2018 By Valeo Physical Therapy

And it may be the better treatment in the long run.
knee-exercise-therapy
GETTY IMAGES

Middle-aged adults who are diagnosed with a degenerative meniscal tear—a common injury caused by wear and tear of the knee joint—should first try physical therapy, recommends new research published this week in The BMJ. Supervised exercise is just as effective as surgery, study authors say, with less risk to the patient and a lower price tag to society as a whole.

An estimated two million people have arthroscopic knee surgery (also known as minimally-invasive or “keyhole” surgery) each year, at a cost of several billion dollars. But increasingly, studies have shown that these procedures have little benefit to most patients.

So researchers in Denmark and Norway organized a clinical trial to compare treatment with surgery versus treatment with physical therapy. Out of 140 adults with degenerative meniscal tears, half received arthroscopic surgery and were given exercises to perform at home; the other half were prescribed 12 weeks of supervised exercise sessions, two to three times a week.

Three months later, the second group actually scored higher on tests of thigh muscle strength than the surgery group. After two years, improvement in both groups was equal: The participants reported similar progression in terms of pain, ability to play sports and participate in recreation, and knee-related quality of life. And although 13 patients in the physical therapy group had eventually decided to undergo surgery, the procedure didn’t end up providing them any additional benefits.

“In general, non-surgical treatment is preferable for the patients, because all surgical treatment includes a risk for complications,” says co-author Nina Jullum Kise, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Martina Hansens Hospital in Norway. “If it is possible to choose a treatment option that is non-surgical, that is the way to go.”

Dr. Kise says that some doctors have begun to recommend exercise over surgery for common knee ailments, thanks to previous studies with similar findings. “But we have work to do here,” she adds. “This will not change overnight.”

She also points out that her study was done on adults with degenerative meniscal tears—not traumatic meniscal tears, which often occur in younger people and are caused by sports injuries or accidents. Traumatic tears can restrict the knee’s range of motion, and surgical repair should always be considered in these cases.

For degenerative tears, repair of the meniscus is not possible. The only surgical option is resection—cutting away sections of tissue—which can lead to further wearing down of the knee’s cartilage and, eventually, to osteoarthritis.

If a patient is diagnosed with this type of tear and a doctor recommends surgery, Dr. Kise suggests getting a second opinion. “I would say that is the wrong treatment and bad practice,” she says. She recommends seeing a physical therapist at least once a week to get proper instruction, and doing the prescribed exercises two to three times a week total for three months. If you still have pain, she says, then you might consider an operation.

While surgery may seem like a quick-fix, Dr. Kise adds, it’s not the best solution in the long run. “People think exercise therapy is time-consuming, expensive, it’s difficult to take time off from work, and so on,” she says. “I try to explain to them how important it is to save the meniscus, to reduce risk for osteoarthritis over longer time, and that they can save the meniscus if they spend some time and money [on physical therapy] here and now.” SOURCE

 


 

Take our Free HIPAA-Compliant Health Assessment to see what YOUR body needs more of to thrive!  

Yours in Good Health,

Your Valeo Family

Filed Under: Athletes, Injury Prevention, Pain Relief, Physical Therapy, Recover Faster, Reduce Pain, Tissue Healing, Uncategorized, Wellness

Follow Us

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinyoutubeinstagram

Recent Posts

  • My Daughter Loves the IDLife Kids Probiotic
  • Wellness made for Mom’s
  • 6 Best Supplements for Neuropathy
  • Infrared therapy for chronic low back pain: A randomized, controlled trial
  • Early physical therapy for low back pain reduces costs, resources

Where Does It Hurt?

For more information, click on the name of the area where you are experiencing pain. Head/Neck Jaw Back Shoulder Elbow Hand/Wrist Hip/Thigh Hip/Knee Shin/Calf Ankle/Foot * PLEASE NOTE: … More

About Us

  Team Valeo Physical Therapy Here at Valeo Physical Therapy, our fun and energetic team is dedicated to creating and providing a comfortable and caring environment for your physical therapy journey. Our mission is to provide compassionate, personalized, and revolutionary treatments that help our patients regain function by … More

Meet Paul Colosky, PT

Paul is the Owner and Lead Physical Therapist at Valeo PT.

  • He's known for how much he cares for his patients and will do anything he can to help them get better.
  • He's a graduate of Colorado State University and University of Texas Medical Branch.
  • He loves going on road trips with his wife and daughter.
  • He also loves running, cycling, camping, fishing, and listening to a variety of music.
  • Learn more about Paul here.

Follow Us

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinyoutubeinstagram

Copyright © 2023 Valeo Physical Therapy - Powered by IndeFree

Sitemap

Staff Only

Physical Therapy in Arlington, VA