Short answer. Usually not. For a worn, age related tear in middle age, trimming the meniscus with keyhole surgery helped no more than a pretend operation.
Evidence grade. Probably does not help.
What it is
The menisci are two C shaped pieces of cartilage that cushion the knee. With age they wear and can develop tears with no clear injury. This is called a degenerative tear. Keyhole surgery, called arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, trims away the torn part through small cuts.
This page is about degenerative tears in middle age. It is not about a young person who has torn a meniscus in a twisting injury, or a knee that is truly locked and cannot straighten. Those can be different, and a surgeon will assess them separately.
What the research shows
In a Finnish trial, 146 people aged 35 to 65 with a degenerative meniscal tear and no arthritis on X-ray had either keyhole surgery or a sham operation. In the sham operation, the surgeon did everything except trim the meniscus. Neither the patients nor the people measuring the results knew who had which. A year later, both groups had improved by about the same amount in pain and knee function.1
A review of nine trials of keyhole surgery in middle aged and older people with degenerative knees found only a small benefit, which faded and was gone by one to two years after surgery. The review also found harms. Blood clots in the leg veins occurred in about 4 in every 1,000 operations, and infection and other problems were reported.2
Risks and effort
The operation means time off work and rehabilitation. Risks include blood clots, infection, stiffness and ongoing pain. A trimmed meniscus cannot be replaced, and a knee with less meniscus may wear faster.
What usually works instead
A supervised exercise program is the first treatment for a worn meniscus in a middle aged knee, with weight loss where that applies and simple pain relief. Many people improve enough that they never need an operation. When pain still limits daily life, see your doctor about other options. See Meniscal Tears and Does exercise work for knee arthritis?.
Questions people ask
My scan shows a meniscus tear. Doesn’t that need fixing?
Not necessarily. Many people over 40 have meniscal tears on MRI with no symptoms at all. A tear on a scan is not proof that the tear is causing the pain.
My knee clicks and catches. Is that different?
Clicking alone is common and usually harmless. A knee that truly locks, so it will not fully straighten, is different and needs prompt review by a surgeon.
What if I tore it playing sport?
A recent injury in a younger person is not what these trials studied. Some injury tears can be repaired, and a surgeon can tell you whether yours is one of them.
Will leaving it make it worse?
In the trials, people who did not have the trimming operation did as well as those who did. If symptoms worsen, you can review the decision.
References
- Sihvonen R, Paavola M, Malmivaara A, Itälä A, Joukainen A, Nurmi H, Kalske J, Järvinen TLN; Finnish Degenerative Meniscal Lesion Study (FIDELITY) Group. Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus sham surgery for a degenerative meniscal tear. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(26):2515-2524. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1305189
- Thorlund JB, Juhl CB, Roos EM, Lohmander LS. Arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee: systematic review and meta-analysis of benefits and harms. BMJ. 2015;350:h2747. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h2747
Last reviewed 22 October 2026. Next review due October 2028.