Knee arthroscopy in the U.S. is one of the most commonly performed orthopedic surgeries. This is despite the fact that research has shown that arthroscopy should not be the first line of treatment for degenerative meniscus tears in people over 45 years old. Many times this is done on an older adult with the idea that it is better than having a knee replacement and will prolong the time until one is needed-in effect, trying to "but some time." Unfortunately, there is a lot of research showing that having a knee scope can make a person more susceptible to progressive arthritis and degenerative changes down the road. So, is there a way to limit these negative consequences? A recent study that was published looked at the association between thigh strength and osteoarthritic changes in the knee 15 years after having arthroscopy performed. What hey found was that thigh strength (or lack of) is correlated with more arthritic changes. In effect, if your thigh muscle is weak, you may be more likely to develop arthritis in your knee in the future. The authors concluded that strong thigh muscles can help preserve joint integrity in middle-aged subjects at risk of knee OA.
The key message here is that to minimize your risk of future, more serious knee problems, after a knee scope, you need to keep working to improve thigh strength. If you do not know where to start or how to do it at home or at the gym, please reach out to me, and I would be happy to assist you.
Thanks for reading, Bob
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