Investigators at seven universities and orthopedic surgery centers in the US studied 351 patients aged 45 years or older who had a meniscal tear and mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis of the knee.
The METEOR study, (Meniscal Tear in Osteoarthritis Research) demonstrated no significant difference in functional improvement after 6 months between patients who underwent surgery with postoperative physical therapy compared with those who received standard physical therapy alone.
Patients who suffer from osteoarthritis and who also have a meniscal tear represent a challenge to medical providers because it is often not clear which condition is more adversely contributing to pain as well as their disability.