Doubts Shed on Benefits of Knee Surgery

Around 700,000 people in the U.S. undergo knee surgery each year. But a new study finds no significant difference in improvement between patients who had one common knee surgery - arthroscopy - and those who underwent a fake surgery. We'll discuss the effectiveness of knee surgery and how to keep your knees healthy. Listen to the interview up to minute 8:06 where the study is discussed here and answer the following questions:

1. Have a look at this language and expressions which are used in this section of the interview:

A new study has called into question its value

The meniscus is a type of fibrocartilage which is a type of cartilage we distinguish the cartilage found on the ends of bones called hyaline cartilage

It can be thought of as a shock absorber

To prevent the ends of the bone from coming into contact during weight-bearing

There are different types of tears, there is an acute tear (runners or athletes) and a degenerative tear (traumatic episodes that occur over time)

A sham or fake surgery

They only trimmed the meniscus after an envelope was opened in the operating room to determine which group the patients would fall under

There was an out for those who had the fake surgery

2. What do the doctors interviewed conclude from the results of the study?