Orthopedics / 05.05.2026
NEJM: Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy Provided No Benefit Over Placebo Surgery and May Worsen Longterm Outcomes
[caption id="attachment_73589" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Järvinen[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Teppo Järvinen MD PhD
Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology
University of Helsinki, HUS
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) is one of the most frequently performed orthopedic procedures worldwide, particularly for middle-aged and older patients with knee pain and a degenerative meniscal tear.
Over the past 15–20 years, multiple randomized trials have questioned the effectiveness of this procedure, showing no meaningful benefit compared with non-operative care (typically, exercise or physical therapy) or even placebo (sham) surgery in the short to medium term.
Our study reports the 10-year follow-up of the FIDELITY trial, a randomized, placebo-surgery controlled trial.
Dr. Järvinen[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Teppo Järvinen MD PhD
Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology
University of Helsinki, HUS
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) is one of the most frequently performed orthopedic procedures worldwide, particularly for middle-aged and older patients with knee pain and a degenerative meniscal tear.
Over the past 15–20 years, multiple randomized trials have questioned the effectiveness of this procedure, showing no meaningful benefit compared with non-operative care (typically, exercise or physical therapy) or even placebo (sham) surgery in the short to medium term.
Our study reports the 10-year follow-up of the FIDELITY trial, a randomized, placebo-surgery controlled trial.
Ridge Maxson[/caption]
Ridge Maxson
M.D. Candidate, Class of 2024
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Dog walking is an increasingly popular mode of physical activity for adults in the US, but its injury burden and associated risk factors are not fully understood. This study found that the 3 most common injuries sustained by adult dog walkers in the US were finger fracture, TBI, and shoulder sprain or strain. Dog walking-related injuries sent approximately 423,000 adults to US EDs between 2001 and 2020, with an annual average of more than 21,000 visits. During that 20-year period, the estimated annual injury incidence increased by more than 4-fold. Among injured dog walkers, older adults and women were particularly vulnerable to serious injury, such as fracture and TBI.