One of the world’s largest insurance companies, Bupa Insurance, has said it has spent around $343 million on knee arthroscopy in Australia alone in the past five years, “which in many cases is considered ineffective and avoidable, and there is no conclusive evidence of clinical benefit to the patient, particularly for patients with age-related cartilage degeneration.” -- Dr Chris Dalton, Bupa Australia’s medical director.
An analysis of the number of knee arthroscopies performed between 2011 and 2016 showed that 78,874 knee arthroscopies were performed, 51% of which were performed on patients aged 55 and over. In mid-2017, the Australian Health Safety and Quality Authority issued new guidelines to avoid knee arthroscopy and consider alternative treatments before deciding to undergo arthroscopy.
A large percentage of knee arthroscopy procedures may aim to remove the meniscus partially or completely, and there are many scientific studies that have shown the extent of the danger of the procedure, which may cause damage to the joint and accelerate the worsening of knee joint osteoarthritis. We have written in several previous articles about the aspects of the danger of knee arthroscopy and whether the condition can be treated with non-surgical methods.
"It is clear that most knee arthroscopy procedures are performed for cases of cartilage degeneration due to aging, and the patient believes that the idea of removing or "cleaning" the damaged parts of the cartilage will relieve the pain, but the patient must realize that there is no conclusive evidence of its benefit in this regard. We advise patients who have been advised to undergo knee arthroscopy to seek a second medical opinion." -- Dr. Chris Dalton
Regarding alternative treatment methods, the field of regenerative joint therapy has recently developed rapidly and tremendously, and has become available in all developed countries and some countries in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. Dr. Nizar Al-Salahat has focused in this aspect specifically in his research for several years on a special technique for arthroscopy followed by regenerative therapy, which aims to change the principle of traditional methods in knee arthroscopy and works to preserve the cartilage tissue of the knee. He won the Best Medical Practice Award for the year 2016 presented by the European Medical Association for his research in this field on the technique of knee arthroscopy followed by injection of the vascular tissue complex rich in fat cells rich in stem cells.
Conclusion
We see a major shift in the field of treatment methods for cases of osteoarthritis, some of which are issued by specialized health quality bodies and some of which are issued by the clauses of some major insurance companies in the world. There are expectations that suggest the inclusion of some regenerative joint treatment procedures under the insurance clauses in the near future, God willing.
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