Exercise May Be As Effective As Surgery For Knee Pain, Study Finds

BOSTON (CBS) -- Do you have an injured knee?  Doctors are rethinking how some injuries should be treated and it could help you avoid going under the knife.  Dr. Mallika Marshall reports.

Every year about 2 million people undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair tears to the meniscus, the rubbery cushion between the thigh bone and the lower leg bones in the knee.

But a new study finds that in middle aged patients, a supervised exercise program may be just as effective as surgery when it comes to pain, function and quality of life.

As an added benefit, after three months, muscle strength had also improved in the exercise group.