View clinical trials related to Meniscus Tear.
Filter by:The investigators have previously reported on patient utilization of an eRehab patient education web portal that utilizes streaming, clinician prescribed video instruction to motivate and inform patients in self-care of their orthopedic condition, focusing on the importance of a home exercise program. The greatest barrier to patient use of this web-based home exercise treatment plan was the initial access to the program. The purpose of this study is to compare an Internet-based patient education rehab portal (eRehab) to formal physical therapy (PT) in terms of patient costs and outcomes.
Arthroscopic meniscectomy is among the most commonly performed orthopedic surgical procedures in the VA system. There remains substantial uncertainty, however, regarding the short term benefits and the long term consequences of arthroscopic meniscectomy in patients with degenerative meniscus tears. Of major concern is the fact that degenerative meniscus tears are associated with osteoarthritis, and it is known that within two years of surgery, arthroscopic debridement for osteoarthritis is no better than placebo in relieving pain and restoring function. Longer term, meniscectomy has been shown to be associated with elevated risk of osteoarthritis development, raising the concern that meniscectomy can actually be harmful. The purpose of this study is to determine whether meniscectomy in the setting of a degenerative meniscus tear is of any clinical value. Determining this would either justify the expenses associated with arthroscopic meniscectomy on a large number of patients, or would identify an area of significant potential cost savings.
Following standard of care procedures for arthroscopy knee surgery it is anticipated that Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) will provide improved pain relief and improve functional outcomes.