신의 존재를 믿지 않으면서도 목구멍이 포도청이라 단상에서 하나님의 축복을 설교해야 하는 목사가 있습니다. 물론 마음속에 일어나는 회의를 어떻게든 합리화하려 노력하지요.

마찬가지 현상이 의사들 중에도 있습니다. 디스크 수술이 효과가 없다는 것을 뻔히 알면서도 병원유지와 자신의 수입때문에 어쩔 수 없이 수술을 해야하는 의사들이 있습니다. 그들은 자신들이 수술을 하는 이유를 어떻게든 합리화시킵니다.

무릎 수술도 마찬가지 입니다. 현재 미국에는 무릎통증 때문에 고생하는 사람들이 2천 7백만명이나 된다고 합니다. 수술이 아니라 간단한 운동에 의해 통증을 거의 없앨 수 있는데도 이들은 수술을 권합니다. 그리고는 무릎 수술을 해야하는 이유를 어떻게든 합리화 시키지요.

의사가 저의 아버지에게 당장 수술하라고 위협을 했습니다. 아버지는 수술대신 운동을 택하시고 15년 이상 날듯이 걸어다니십니다. 저도 수술을 생각했었습니다. 대신 운동을 하면서 이제는 걷는게 아니라 달릴 수도 있게 되었습니다.

무릎 수술을 생각하시는 분들께 우선 운동을 해 보실것을 권해드립니다. 그래도 안되면 다음에 수술을 생각해 보십시오.


Fake knee op 'as good as surgery'



Surgery is used to relieve pain. Major doubt has been cast on the benefits of a common operation carried out on people with osteoarthritis of the knee.

A US study has found that the procedure produced no better results than dummy surgery where patients were led to believe that they had undergone treatment when they had not.


The health care industry should rethink how to test whether surgical procedures are more efficacious than a placebo


The patients who underwent placebo arthroscopic surgery were just as likely to report pain relief as those who underwent the real thing.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine say their findings pose a serious question over the true benefits of procedure that is one of the most common treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Different groups

In the study, 180 patients with knee pain received one of three types of treatment:

debridement, in which worn, torn, or loose cartilage is cut away and removed with the aid of a pencil-thin viewing tube called an arthroscope
arthroscopic lavage, in which the bad cartilage is flushed out.
simulated arthroscopic surgery in which small incisions were made, but no instruments were inserted and no cartilage removed

During two years of follow-up, patients in all three groups reported moderate improvements in pain and ability to function.

However, neither of the intervention groups reported less pain or better function than the placebo group.

Indeed, the placebo patients reported better outcomes than the debridement patients at certain points during follow-up.

Throughout the two years, the patients were unaware of whether they had received real or placebo surgery.


We shouldn't jump to the immediate conclusion that arthroscopy is a waste of time

Arthritis Research Campaign
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis.

Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and swelling. Treatment typically involves pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory drugs, along with heat-therapy and exercise.

Surgery is undertaken if these treatments fail to work.

Lead researcher Dr Nelda Wray said: "The fact that the effectiveness of arthroscopic lavage or debridement in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee is no greater than that of placebo surgery makes us question whether the dollars spent on these procedures might not be put to better use.

"This study has important policy implications.

"The health care industry should rethink how to test whether surgical procedures, done purely for the relief of subjective symptoms, are more efficacious than a placebo."



The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.