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Arthroscopy for
Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Recently I looked
over several articles in newspapers and a nice clinical review article,
all explaining how
arthroscopy for
knee arthritis is on the rise despite
the lack of evidence that it helps get rid of pain. Most of the knee
patients we see at Caring Medical have had
knee arthroscopy and from what
I can tell it accelerates the arthritic process. We feel a better
approach would be to repair the arthritic process with Prolotherapy.
Techniques used for
the
arthroscopic treatment of
osteoarthritis of the knee include joint lavage, joint debridement,
meniscectomy, abrasion arthroplasty, and
microfracture. (See A
Retrospective Study Shows Prolotherapy is Effective in the Treatment of
MRI-Documented Meniscal Tears)
A good alternative to all of these procedures is Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy is typically done once per month for three to
six visits. In athletes, sometimes the treatment is done weekly or every
two weeks to speed up the healing process. Often
human growth
hormone (HGH)
and
glucosamine are injected into and around the knee to stimulate joint
structures like
cartilage to repair. The good news in regard to
Prolotherapy also is the fact that right after Prolotherapy athletes and
clients can exercise. Prolotherapy works best when combined with
exercises like cycling, elliptical and Bosu Ball.
Runner is sometimes
recommended, but it depends on the injury.
If you are looking
for an alternative to
knee surgery and all that is involved, like time
off from work and sports, we would love to see you in our office for a
consultation for Prolotherapy!
For someone wanting
to research knee arthroscopy and the lack of evidence of its efficacy
further, consider looking up this article or any of the below
information:
Arthroscopic
treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: are there any evidence-based
indications? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2007; 455:107-11.
One can also look up
the Cochrane review article on it. It is entitled Arthroscopic debridement for knee osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database of Systemic
Reviews 2008. Issue 1.
New York Times
Article entitled:
Arthritis Surgery In Ailing Knees Is Cited as Sham
July 11, 2002,
written by Gina Kolata
The study they site
was in New England Journal of Medicine 2002 Jul 11; 347(2):81-8.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/347/2/81
A controlled
trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of knee.
Study was done at Houston Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Baylor College
of Medicine, Houston Texas.
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