Are degrenerative meniscal tear ever operated on?

Meniscus tears: If the tear causes mechanical symptoms such as pinching and catching or locking, and you have failed conservative care, then yes. Typically you would try physiotherapy, anti inflammatory medication, activity modification and injections prior to surgery.

Yes: Common finding on mri's of people as they enter the 40s and fifties.It is up to the examining doctor to correlate it with your symptoms and physical finding by examining you. If they fit arhtroscopy can help. It is often co-existant with arthritis. If there is question as to the mri's findings significance, then a short course of pt may help and unnecessary surgery avoided.Arthroscopy then is ok.

Yes, they can: With mechanical symptoms surgery is almost always required, but w/ pain/ swelling it should only be considered when conservative treatments have failed. Since many deg tears occur in knees w/ coexisting arthritis, a menisectomy is not always the best option. The surgery may decrease meniscal symptoms, but those from arthritis may remain unchanged or slightly increase due to meniscus removal.