Common Knee Procedure No Longer Recommended

Patients who are being treated for knee pain are faced with a variety of treatment options. The orthopedic surgeons make their decisions regarding treatment based on the injury, the amount of pain and disability the pain is causing, as well as the patient’s occupation, age, and size. The treatments that can be chosen are usually listed in a set of guidelines, recommended treatments that have been found to be the most effective in a particularly situation.

The professional groups of the various specialities are constantly reviewing and upgrading their recommended guidelines as research provides more information and results from studies. Sometimes, this adds to the possible options and other times, it removes some options because studies have found that the treatments aren’t as effective as originally thought or may be harmful.

In this case, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons have reviewed and changed their guidelines for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

One treatment involves “washing out” the knee joint, called lavage. The surgeon injects a fluid into the joint to wash it out. While this may still be appropriate if there are pieces of tissue or tears in the tissue, for the arthritis itself, there doesn’t seem to be an benefit.

The writing group also recommended against arthroscopy with debridement or lavage, noting that evidence suggested its effects “were not statistically significant on the vast majority of patient-oriented outcome measures for pain and function.”

After reviewing several studies, the committee drawing up the guidelines also found that the more frequently recommended treatments such as special inserts in your shoes (orthotics) and using glucosamine and chondroitin didn’t make any difference in relieving pain or discomfort for knee osteoarthritis.

What do the guidelines recommend?

Weight loss for patients who are overweight may play a large role in helping relieve pain.

Low-impact aerobic exercise

Pain relief with short-term acetaminophen and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Patients should consult with their doctor about which over-the-counter medications to use because of other health issues that could play a role in drug absorption and side effects.

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