Arthroscopy knee surgery

Real versus a Sham procedure.

Arthroscopy knee surgery is the most common surgical procedure for knee pain and osteoarthritis, yet research casts considerable doubt on the operation. Chiropractic philosophy recommends conservative care before such drastic measures.

In 1995, one hundred and eighty patients with obdurate knee pain that would not respond to six months of medical treatment, were operated on by one highly experienced orthopaedic doctor - the US National Basketball Association surgeon. Patients were divided into three groups.

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1. The lavage group was treated with 10 litres of fluid with minimal debridement.

2. The debridement group had all loose debris removed and the remaining meniscus was shaved, following by lavage.

3. A placebo group was treated with a sham operation in which the usual incisions were made.

All three groups were treated with the exact same post-operative care, and were followed for a two year period.

RESULTS

At several times during the two year follow-up period, the debridement group did significantly worse than the placebo group.

Reference: Arthrosocopic Surgery for Osteoarthritis of the knee, NEJM 374.

To go from ARTHROSCOPY KNEE SURGERY to chiropractic care for lateral knee pain.