Evaluation and Treatment of the Arthritic Knee

This issue of The Journal contains two articles that are relevant to the evaluation and treatment of the arthritic knee. The studies have important implications for orthopaedic practice, but we must be cautious in interpreting the authors’ findings. In both studies, the subjects were chosen from groups of patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee. Specific symptoms of a meniscal tear were not included in the patient data. Certainly, it is unlikely that the subjects had primary symptoms of a meniscal tear and a secondary diagnosis of low-grade osteoarthritis.