No one actually wants a knee surgery, but every year over a million opt for it. This includes knee replacements along with other procedures to address meniscal or joint issues (not ligament related). This begs the question – how many are actually necessary? Now each and every doctor who performed the procedure will say they are necessary. (They are surgeons- what would you expect?) And the majority of patients feel they are necessary because they were told it was necessary. But is the surgery really necessary? OR was there another way?

For some the answer may be NO, but for others- there is always an option. Did you know an article by Katz et al in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013 found patients with meniscal issues who underwent PT had results similar to surgery? More and more data are showing conservative care such as PT being equal to surgery meaning…there is way too much surgery happening in the US.

You might be asking- how is that possible? (Especially in light of changes on imaging). Well…imaging is but a picture in time and does not tell the whole story. What is more important is a person’s strength, motion, balance, and tolerance for activity. Understanding these elements are critical to learning a person’s potential ability to recover without surgery.

So what is the process of trying to avoid surgery?

1) Maximize knee range of motion. It is critical to maintain or get full or near full motion

2) Leg strength. Working to address and maximize leg strength, which includes the quads, gluts, and hamstrings. The stronger the legs, the better for the knees

3) Balance. While often challenging and frustrating, working to improve one’s balance is a critical element for long-term knee health

4) Cardiovascular exercise. It is important to promote bloodflow and joint fluid movement. This can include walking, biking, or other means necessary

By working to address these 4 key elements a person, even one with knee pain, has the potential to avoid knee surgery.

Where to begin?

This is where a muscle and joint expert can be useful to assess each of these key elements and develop the best program possible to get a person moving in the right direction.

Data indicates success if possible if a person is willing to put in the work. Worst case scenario- surgery. Best case- surgery avoided and you can get back to life without the post surgery rehab.

Not sure what to do?

Click the following LINK to have a conversation about your options and if rehab not surgery might be your best option.