A False Perception: How effective is knee surgery?
The knee: one of the most important parts of the human body, responsible for a person’s locomotion, posture, and a plethora of other functions. However, as the body ages, the cartilage which cushions the knee and the various ligaments connecting each part of the knee to each other deteriorate, resulting in wincing pain and lack of function for some. In “Common Knee Surgery Does Very Little for Some, Study Suggests,” published by The New York Times on December 25th, 2013, and written by Pam Belluck, the author reports on findings from scholarly articles regarding the effectiveness of knee surgery on a torn meniscus (cartilage in the knee which provides cushion and stabilization), and more broadly when a patient should receive knee surgery. Throughout her report, Belluck maintains an objective stance and evaluates the study from multiple perspectives, permitting for an effective communication of the research at hand.
The Finnish study, which Belluck reports on, involved scientists who were part of the experiment to gather a group of patients with meniscal tears. The researchers divided the patients into two primary groups: one given knee surgery, and the others given fake operations. The group to which the placebo procedures were administered primarily utilized physical therapy to rehabilitate their injury. Since no differences were noted in their recovery a year later, Belluck draws the conclusion that physical therapy is a great option in meniscal tears; however, surgery is still the most effective option for injuries sustained from sports and for young people. Despite this, since a majority of these tears are the result of years of wear and tear, Belluck includes that surgery is often avoidable and does not contribute much to the well-being of the patient.
Furthermore, Belluck emphasizes that the source of pain and effect on mechanical knee function are particularly helpful factors in discerning which patients are to have knee surgery. Belluck cites other studies conducted on patients, which incorporate factors such as the source of pain and effect on mechanical knee function, in order to substantiate the conclusion that physical therapy and other modes of rehab should be tried first rather than surgery. Since compounding conditions such as knee arthritis may be the actual source of pain for the patient rather than a meniscal tear itself, Belluck includes that these studies take a broad approach rather than strictly on meniscal tears. Belluck notes that minimal discrepancies in recovery amongst the knee surgery vs physical therapy groups were reported. All in all, she indicates that from the results of the studies discussed, knee surgery should be done sparingly.
To continue, Belluck presents the information derived from the scholarly articles in a communicable manner. Throughout the entirety of the article, the language Belluck utilizes appeals to a general population, with any science jargon or medical terms being clearly defined and specified. Hence, the audience is the general population with knee problems, such as meniscal tears, knee arthritis, and diminished mechanical knee function, rather than a community of scientists. Belluck consistently refers to the scholarly articles mentioned in the article, although some of the information included is constituted by expert opinions (rather than actual research) substantiated by the findings presented by the research. As a whole, the writing was objective and unbiased in every manner, as there was no preference towards knee surgery or physical therapy or any other option due to a personal opinion.
References
Belluck P. 2013 Dec 25. Common Knee Surgery Does Very Little for Some, Study Suggests. The New York Times [accessed 2020 Feb 03]; https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/health/common-knee-surgery-does-very-little-for-some-study-suggests.html?searchResultPosition=15.
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