Patients with Knee Locking or Catching Don't Benefit from Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy

The classical treatment for nontraumatic knee pain associated with mechanical symptoms (the sensation of the knee catching or locking) has been arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Because true “locked knee” is caused by a bucket-handle meniscus tear, we have assumed that mechanical symptoms also are related to meniscal tears. However, the efficacy of arthroscopic surgery in alleviating mechanical symptoms in patients with degenerative meniscal tears has not been evaluated in a randomized trial.

In a previously published, randomized trial from Finland, meniscectomy did not improve pain or function (compared with sham surgery) in 146 patients with magnetic resonance imaging–proven meniscal tears and >3 months of knee pain that was unresponsive …