Torn Meniscus? Read This before Agreeing to Surgery

Meniscus tears are among the most common knee injuries people experience, especially in athletes who play contact sports. If you’re suffering from a torn meniscus, you’ve probably heard that there are a few ways you can get it treated—one of which is surgery.

However, before you commit to surgery, take some time to read this article. With so many options available, this information will help you understand the various options available to you, and make an educated choice.

What Is a Meniscus Tear?

Before we jump into the various treatments available for meniscus tears (and there are a lot!), let’s look at what a meniscus tear actually means.

Your meniscus is made up of two C-shaped pieces of cartilage that surround your knee joint, cushioning the junction of your thigh bone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). Any activity that causes a person to twist or rotate their knee can result in a torn meniscus, which is why athletes are particularly at risk.

Meniscus tears are a common cause of knee pain and because they do not contain the naturally occurring cells responsible for healing and do not have a good blood supply they typically don’t heal completely on their own. This can set the stage for chronic and recurring knee pain and more importantly arthritis down the road. The question becomes, is surgery a “fix” or is it the best and only option to solve the problem. The answer to this as you will see is a resounding NO.

Ask yourself, what are my goals. With any medical intervention we have to be clear on what we want the outcome to be and then we can weigh the risks and benefits. If you are like the thousands of patients I’ve consulted with on orthopedic issues then the goal is simple… we want relief! But (and this is a big but) do we want that relief to be long term? Or short term? Wouldn’t we also want to improve function so that we can get back to the things we love? Are we concerned with our long-term quality of life and therefore, shouldn’t we want to do what we can to prevent arthritis and possibly knee replacement?

Here’s what needs to be understood:

Drugs or surgery (for the majority of meniscus tears) is a short-term, symptomatic approach to managing pain. Drugs cover symptoms and surgery is designed to cut things out to relieve symptoms. Both do not provide long-term benefit.

The British Medical Journal( BMJ), a premier peer reviewed journal published a landmark study in 2015. They reviewed 1500 studies on arthroscopic meniscus surgery. The result:

“The small inconsequential benefits of meniscus surgery DO NOT outweigh the risks”

What that means is the risk of actually doing the surgery as well as the length of recovery do not provide patients with sufficient benefit in terms of success rate leading to relief and return to function.

Furthermore, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2014 concluded that for those individuals who undergo meniscus surgery they are likely to have a knee replacement 33% sooner!

So what gives?

Here’s the reality. The meniscus is a dense connective tissue that does not have the ability to heal on its own for reasons I described above. Covering symptoms doesn’t solve the inherent problem which is damaged and pain sensitive tissue and cutting a portion of the meniscus out not only doesn’t work but causes more problems than it solves.

Not to worry! We now have advanced medical technology that is designed to heal injuries in a very natural way. By harnessing your body’s natural and very powerful ability to heal and transplanting it to an area that typically doesn’t have access. Professional athletes and celebrities have been using it for years and it represents a very powerful and non-surgical approach. Not just for managing pain but providing long-term relief with the prevention of future degenerative change or arthritis as an added benefit. This approach finally allows for recovery from an injury or issue and a return to doing the things you love! Its called Cellular therapy/ Ortho-biologics.

Cell Therapy Ortho-Biologics

Cell Therapy Ortho-Biologics is a type of regenerative medicine that stimulates healing and growth by using naturally-found substances in the body. These include cells, tissues, growth factors, or components in the blood.

Cell Therapy Ortho-Biologics can be used to treat a variety of conditions by reducing pain and inflammation, stimulating tissue regeneration, and improving musculoskeletal function. It also has the benefits of restoring mobility and range of motion without the often painful and lengthy recovery periods that come with surgery.

At Orthobiologics Associates, we know that each patient is different, which is why we don’t believe in cookie-cutter treatment of symptoms. Instead, we create personalized treatment plans in collaboration with our patients to pinpoint the root cause of their issue, so they can go back to living a life they love.

At Orthobiologics Associates, you can always expect superior outcomes. To learn more about how we can help you, give us a call at (833) 600-0184 or contact us online.