Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Common Knee Surgery May Boost Arthritis Risk, Study Suggests

Darpan News Desk, Canadian Press, 03 Dec, 2014 05:37 PM

    A common type of knee surgery may increase the chances of arthritis, a new study suggests.

    The procedure repairs tears in the meniscus, a piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber. There are two in each knee, and they stabilize the knee joint. Meniscal tears are one of the most common knee injuries, and surgery is often performed to reduce pain and improve joint function, the researchers said.

    In their study, the scientists used MRI scans to look at 355 knees with arthritis, and compared them to a similar number of knees without arthritis. The average age of the patients was about 60 and most were overweight.

    All 31 knees that were operated on to repair meniscal tears developed arthritis within a year, compared with 59 percent of knees with meniscal damage that did not have surgery.

    Cartilage loss occurred in nearly 81 percent of knees that had meniscal surgery, compared with almost 40 percent of knees with meniscal damage that did not have surgery, the study found.

    The study was to be presented Wednesday at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago.

    Even though surgery to repair meniscal tears is common, "increasing evidence is emerging that suggests meniscal surgery may be detrimental to the knee joint," study author Dr. Frank Roemer, from Boston University School of Medicine and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, said in a society news release.

    "The indications for meniscal surgery might need to be discussed more carefully in order to avoid accelerated knee joint degeneration," he suggested.

    An alternative to surgery is physical therapy to help maintain and restore knee muscle strength and range of motion. Ice and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are also used to treat pain and symptoms, according to the release.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Scientists create Parkinson's disease in lab

    Scientists create Parkinson's disease in lab
      To unravel what actually goes wrong in people with Parkinson's disease and find out potential new therapy, scientists have successfully created....

    Scientists create Parkinson's disease in lab

    Premature babies at higher risk of brain disorders

    Premature babies at higher risk of brain disorders
    In the early stages of brain growth, a disturbance like a premature birth could affect its neuro-circuitry, leading to a higher risk of neurological disorders, says a new research....

    Premature babies at higher risk of brain disorders

    Orange triggers deadly allergy in asthmatic toddler

    Orange triggers deadly allergy in asthmatic toddler
    A toddler in Pennsylvania suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis after eating an orange - the first time such a case has been reported in someone so young....

    Orange triggers deadly allergy in asthmatic toddler

    'Lactose intolerance reduces risk of certain cancers'

    'Lactose intolerance reduces risk of certain cancers'
    People with lactose intolerance are at a lower risk of suffering from lung, breast and ovarian cancers, says a new research....

    'Lactose intolerance reduces risk of certain cancers'

    Walnut-rich diet may lower risk of Alzheimer's

    Walnut-rich diet may lower risk of Alzheimer's
    A diet rich in walnuts has the beneficial effect of lowering the risk or preventing Alzheimer's disease altogether, a research said Thursday....

    Walnut-rich diet may lower risk of Alzheimer's

    Diabetes, heart disease may share deep roots

    Diabetes, heart disease may share deep roots
    Type 2 diabetes and cardio-vascular disease often occur together and scientists have now discovered that the two diseases may be related at the level of genes...

    Diabetes, heart disease may share deep roots