Clinicians have concluded that arthroscopic surgery for people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee provides no additional benefits to optimised medical and physical therapy, the results of a new study indicate.

Published in the September 11th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the study saw 92 individuals randomised to arthroscopic surgery and 86 to non-operative treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Non-operative therapies involved an injection of hyaluronic acid, weekly physical therapy sessions, patient education and step-wise use of glucosamine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen.

The study did not identify any benefit in the group which received the surgery.

However, in an accompanying editorial, Dr Robert Marx, an associate attending orthopaedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, said the research has some weaknesses, arguing that arthroscopy has a role in some patients with the condition.

"While I do not recommend arthroscopy as a treatment for an arthritic knee, it can be extremely helpful for people with arthritis who also have a co-existing knee problem such as a meniscal tear or a loose piece of cartilage," he said.

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