Comparing Surgery Versus Standard Physical Therapy in Treating People With a Meniscal Tear and Osteoarthritis
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Osteoarthritis
In brief
There are two cartilage structures, called menisci, in each knee joint. A torn meniscus can be caused by a traumatic injury or aging-related degeneration. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of another type of cartilage that covers the end of bones within a joint. In people who have knee OA, a meniscal tear can easily lead to disability. This study will compare the effectiveness of two recommended treatments, surgery and physical therapy, for people with a torn meniscus and knee OA.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00597012
- Run by
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- People needed
- 351
- Starts
- 2008-05-01
- Expected to finish
- 2025-12-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-05-18
Who can join
Age: 45 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- OA symptoms lasting at least 1 month and managed with medications, activity limitations, and/or physical therapy
- At least one symptom consistent with a torn meniscus. Symptoms may include clicking, catching, popping, giving way, pain with pivot or torque, episodic pain, and/or pain that is acute and localized to one joint line.
- Available knee X-ray (within 6 months) and MRI (within 3 years)
- Evidence of osteophyte formation or cartilage fissure, tear, or loss on a knee MRI OR plain radiographic evidence of osteophyte formation or joint space narrowing
- Evidence of a meniscal tear (tear extending to surface of meniscus) on a knee MRI
- Willingness to undergo random assignment and sign an informed consent
You may not qualify if…
- Chronically locked knee
- Kellgren-Lawrence Grade IV status, indicating advanced OA and usually the need for total knee replacement
- Contraindication to MRI
- Radiographic chondrocalcinosis (a condition in which there are deposits of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate [CPPD] crystals in one or more joints that eventually result in damage to the affected joints) AND acute symptomatic pseudogout
- Inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, pseudogout)
- Injection with viscosupplementation in the affected knee in the 4 weeks before study entry
- Any medical contraindications to surgery or physical therapy
- Both knees are symptomatic for meniscal tears and a candidate for bilateral APMs
- Prior surgery on an affected knee
- Pregnancy or possible pregnancy
- Claim filed for worker's compensation
- Unable or unwilling to give informed consent
- Unable or unwilling to attend physical therapy sessions at designated locations or in the community
Where it is running
- Rush University Medical Center — Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Mayo Clinic — Rochester, Minnesota, United States
- Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine — St Louis, Missouri, United States
- Hospital for Special Surgery — New York, New York, United States
- Cleveland Clinic — Cleveland, Ohio, United States
- Vanderbilt University — Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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