For those suffering from knee pain, there are three traditional ways to treat the pain, along with a number of alternative or complementary methods. Traditional medical modalities include medication, surgery, and physical therapy. Complementary methods include cognitive therapy, behavior modification, and numerous other approaches.
A recent study focused on efforts to reduce knee pain with physical therapy. It found that physical therapy is as effective as surgery in treating knee pain symptoms arising from damaged cartilage and osteoarthritis.
2013 study serves as compelling argument for physical therapy
The 2013 study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts, looked at just over 350 patients. The subjects, aged 46 years and above, were suffering from a combination of knee arthritis and meniscal tears. Arthroscopic surgery is incredibly common for people with the knee pain symptoms experienced by the study population: almost half a million such procedures are performed annually in the US.
The study placed participants in two treatment groups, one of which was scheduled for a course of physical therapy and the other of which received arthroscopic surgery. The study then reviewed the progress of patients at two points down the road – half a year and a full year following initial treatment.
At both of the checkpoints, the patients in each group showed significant and comparable rehabilitative success: expansion in the knee’s range of motion and alleviation of its pain. These results suggest that arthroscopic surgery is no more effective than physical therapy for knee pain, the latter of which is preferable both in terms of safety and recovery time.
The findings of the study were presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in March, the same month they were published by the New England Journal of Medicine. The research authors were quick to point out that they had not successfully determined the optimal solution: physical therapy for knee pain had not generated better results than surgery, merely comparable ones.
The conclusion of the study was that physical therapy is the best first option, with surgery serving in a backup capacity as needed. In fact, 1 out of every 3 patients within the study’s physical therapy group decided to switch over to the surgery group when recovery did not meet their expectations.
Seeking help to reduce knee pain with physical therapy
Pain management specialists agree that multidisciplinary treatment is the best method to alleviate knee pain. Incorporating a team approach that draws on the integrated specialties of numerous professionals, multidisciplinary pain management achieves greater functionality and pain improvements. Get your free consultation today.
