Arthroscopic surgery may not be best option.

• Position: Orthopedics - To relieve osteoarthritis - Brief Article

One of the most-frequent procedures performed by orthopedic surgeons--arthroscopic surgery, used to repair and flush out damaged cartilage in the knee---is not effective for relieving pain associated with osteoarthritis, argues Frank Gottschalk, professor of orthopedic surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "As baby boomers age, they are starting to develop osteoarthritis of the knee, a progressive degenerative disease that wears away articular cartilage. In these kinds of patients, arthroscopic surgery doesn't improve long-term function and may require...