The menisci are structures present in the knee joint that help with shock absorption. Changes to the knee meniscus occur normally with age but can be associated with pain in some middle-aged adults as part of a degenerative joint process. A substantial number of patients attend Irish orthopaedic clinics with degenerative meniscal tears. Exercise has proven effective for reducing pain and increasing patients ability to function, while keyhole surgery to remove the torn meniscus does not provide any additional benefit. Despite this patients are frequently referred to our hospitals for surgical interventions, and interviews conducted with patients suggest that exercise was under-used as a treatment.
Physiotherapists have a key role in managing this condition given that exercise therapy is the recommended treatment and they work alongside GPs to deliver this in the primary care setting. According to preliminary results from our recent qualitative interviews with GPs, physiotherapists are also influential in determining when exercise therapy is discontinued and often use their clinical expertise to recommend advanced imaging. It would be valuable to understand physiotherapists’ current practice in relation to degenerative meniscal tears and some of the beliefs that underpin this practice.
