Physical therapy may be just as effective as surgery for your knees. A small clinical trial from Denmark and Norway found that physical therapy can alleviate pain and help those with degenerative meniscal tears save money by avoiding surgery. “Out of 140 adults with degenerative meniscal tears, half received arthroscopic surgery and were given exercises to perform at home; the other half were prescribed 12 weeks of supervised exercise sessions, two to three times a week. Three months later, the second group actually scored higher on tests of thigh muscle strength than the surgery group. After two years, improvement in both groups was equal: The participants reported similar progression in terms of pain, ability to play sports and participate in recreation, and knee-related quality of life.” Researchers recommended trying alternative therapies and only resorting to surgery if pain becomes a persistent problem.