Meniscus Tears

The Orthopedic Civil War over Meniscus Surgery Begins

A new editorial in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research hints at war brewing inside the orthopedic community. You see, we have enough evidence right now to end insurance and other coverage for all common knee meniscus surgeries performed in anyone over 35. However, despite many surgeons proclaiming that they are following evidence-based guidelines, these…read more

Pain Behind the Knee? Here’s What’s Going On

On this page: Hamstring or calf muscle or tendon injuries Popliteus and plantaris muscle injuries Tibial or other nerve problems Meniscus tears Baker’s cyst I talk a lot about knee pain and what to do and what not to do about it. This time, I want to pinpoint a precise location: the back of the…read more

Culture Expanded Stem Cells for Knee Arthritis

I evaluated an interesting patient down at our Cayman Islands advanced stem cell practice site recently in that his MRI changes were fascinating. While I see patients every day who are improving and have great stories, many times I just don’t have the time to write up what’s happening. However, every once in a while,…read more

Meniscus Treatment Without Surgery?

For many patients, meniscus surgery is the ninth inning or the fourth quarter. You’ve tried everything else—nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroid injections, and other traditional treatments—but nothing has eased your pain or fixed your meniscus. The meniscus-treatment bases are loaded, there are two strikes, and now it’s time for the heavy hitter, Meniscus Surgery, to…read more

Does Knee Meniscus Surgery Cause More Arthritis?

Knee meniscus surgery is a bizarre topic for many orthopedic surgeons, sort of like a sacred cow crossing the road in India. While the high-level research continues to show that cutting out pieces of the knee meniscus doesn’t help patients, these surgeries are still common, and many surgeons will defend their use. However, when does…read more

Does Meniscus Repair Work? Another Study Shows the Surgery’s a Sham…

I saw a middle-aged patient yesterday who injured his knee two weeks ago. He had an immediate MRI that showed a meniscus tear and some arthritis. He’s an established patient, so when a prestigious orthopedic clinic told him he needed surgery, he knew enough to check back with me. He, like many other patients, was…read more

Should I Have Meniscus Surgery? No…

The most common orthopedic surgery in America had it’s final epitaph written this month with a level-1 study showing that surgery for meniscus locking is no better than placebo. Given that this was the final indication for the surgery, based on the research, to use a party analogy, the booze has run out for this little…read more

Ankle Sprain Knee Pain? The Ankle Bone’s Connected to the Knee Bone…

What if you have ankle sprain knee pain? More precisely, what if you have an ankle injury and later develop knee pain; are they connected? Will your doctor connect the dots? Regrettably, my medical doctor brethren are generally horrible at thinking bio mechanically. A 37 year old personal trainer I just saw in clinic is…read more