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FPIN's Clinical Inquiries
From the Family Practice Inquiries Network

Arthroscopic Surgery vs. Physical Therapy for Degenerative Meniscal Tears

Jason W. Deck, MD
Lamont Cavanagh, MD
William Dudney, MD
Joshua Hansen, MD
Thomas Kern, MD
Emrys Moreau, MFA, MLIS

American Family Physician. 2024;110(4):421-422.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

JASON W. DECK, MD; LAMONT CAVANAGH, MD; WILLIAM DUDNEY, MD; JOSHUA HANSEN, MD; and THOMAS KERN, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa

EMRYS MOREAU, MFA, MLIS, Schusterman Library, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

Copyright © Family Physicians Inquiries Network. Used with permission.

Address correspondence to Jason W. Deck, MD, at Jason-Deck@ouhsc.edu.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

  1. 1.O'Connor D, Johnston RV, Brignardello-Petersen R, et al. Arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee disease (osteoarthritis including degenerative meniscal tears). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022(3):CD014328.
  2. 2.Fernández-Matías R, García-Pérez F, Gavín-González C, et al. Effectiveness of exercise versus arthroscopic partial meniscectomy plus exercise in the management of degenerative meniscal tears at 5-year follow-up: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2023;143(5):2609-2620.
  3. 3.Noorduyn JCA, Glastra van Loon T, van de Graaf VA, et al.; ESCAPE Research Group. Functional outcomes of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus physical therapy for degenerative meniscal tears using a patient-specific score: a randomized controlled trial. Orthop J Sports Med. 2020;8(10) ): 2325967120954392.
  4. 4.Başar B, Başar G, Büyükkuşçu MÖ, et al. Comparison of physical therapy and arthroscopic partial meniscectomy treatments in degenerative meniscus tears and the effect of combined hyaluronic acid injection with these treatments: a randomized clinical trial. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2021;34(5):767-774.
  5. 5.Collins JE, Shrestha S, Losina E, et al.; METEOR Investigator Group. Five-year structural changes in the knee among patients with meniscal tear and osteoarthritis: data from a randomized controlled trial of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus physical therapy. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022;74(8):1333-1342.

Clinical Inquiries provides answers to questions submitted by practicing family physicians to the Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN). Members of the network select questions based on their relevance to family medicine. Answers are drawn from an approved set of evidence-based resources and undergo peer review. The strength of recommendations and the level of evidence for individual studies are rated using criteria developed by the Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group (https://www.cebm.net).

The complete database of evidence-based questions and answers is copyrighted by FPIN. If interested in submitting questions or writing answers for this series, go to https://www.fpin.org or email questions@fpin.org.

Copyright © Family Physicians Inquiries Network. Used with permission.

This series is coordinated by John E. Delzell Jr., MD, MSPH, associate medical editor.

A collection of FPIN’s Clinical Inquiries published in AFP is available at https://www.aafp.org/afp/fpin.

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