Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disease that attacks knees and other joints. The usual arthritic symptoms of pain, stiffness and swelling prevail. The initial treatments generally are the NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). When the drugs do not control the pain, which is frequently the case, arthroscopic surgery is frequently the next option. It is estimated that more than 650,000 arthroscopic knee surgeries are performed each year at an average cost of more than $5,000 each.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that knee surgery produced no significantly better results than a sham surgery in relieving pain. The major benefit of surgery in these cases appears to be primarily for the bone surgeon and the surgery centers. HealthAlert.com [1]
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