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A 25-year-old female asked:

24 female, mri: medial meniscus tear (i've had for 10yrs) mild chondromalacia. knees ache most when seated. could strengthening/pt substitute surgery?

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Scott Hacker
Orthopedic Surgery 26 years experience
Absolutely: Nonoperative treatments like strengthening and therapy are always the first choice before surgery. When you have given these a real effort, and are still bothered by your complaints, then the only real option to get better may be to have the 20 min scope procedure and move on. Give it an honest try and then decide if surgery is right for you.
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Last updated Feb 7, 2014

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