In this episode, a physical therapist discusses the findings of a recently published study from the New England Journal of Medicine about the need for (or lack of) surgery for meniscal tears and osteoarthritis of the knee. In many cases, she explains, physical therapy alone is proving as effective as surgery combined with physical therapy.

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Read more about meniscal tears and osteoarthritis of the knee.

Clare E. Safran-Norton, PT, PhD, MS, OCS, is clinical specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston and was the lead physical therapist for the MeTeOR Trial (Meniscal Tear in Osteoarthritis: A Random Controlled Trial) recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. She is involved in several research studies regarding patients with hip labral tears, ACL injuries, knee meniscal tears with OA and spinal pain. Additionally, she chairs the research committee for the hospital's department of rehabilitation and is involved with the Brigham Research Institute.