Harvard Health Blog Surgeons are doing fewer knee surgeries POSTED DECEMBER 27, 2018, 10:30 AM Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing Orthopedists often recommend arthroscopy to diagnose and treat common painful knee problems, such as arthritis or torn cartilage. The risks are much lower and recovery times much shorter than standard “open” knee operations. But studies have demonstrated convincingly that for some instances of knee pain, medications and physical therapy may work just as well as arthroscopic surgery. Despite these recent data, some orthopedists continued to recommend arthroscopic surgery. Now, that seems to be changing. Learn more »

Get your copy of Living Well with Osteoarthritis This report focuses primarily on osteoarthritis — the most common type of arthritis — which affects 27 million Americans. Many people believe it’s a crippling and inevitable part of growing old. But things are changing. Treatments are better, and plenty of people age well without much arthritis. If you have osteoarthritis, you can take steps to protect your joints, reduce discomfort, and improve mobility — all of which are detailed in this Special Health Report, Living Well with Osteoarthritis: A guide to keeping your joints healthy. If you don't have osteoarthritis, the report offers strategies for preventing it.

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Living Well with Osteoarthritis Featured content: • When joints cause pain • What is osteoarthritis? • Diagnosing osteoarthritis • Treating osteoarthritis without surgery • Surgical treatment of osteoarthritis •  ... and more! Click here to read more »