It’s one of the most common sources of pain for Zoomers and surgery has been one of the major options. An international panel of surgeons and patients has recommended strongly against the use of arthroscopic surgery for patients with degenerative knee problems.

The guidelines in the journal BMJ, reviewed 13 studies and found the surgery did not provide lasting pain relief or improve function for most of them. Often the surgery is performed to remove part of a damaged meniscus, a disc of cartilage that helps cushion the knee.

The panel said those tears are unlikely to be the cause of knee pain, aching or stiffness.

That research compared surgery with physical therapy, exercise and placebo surgery.

The review found that less than 15 percent of patients felt an improvement in pain and function three months after arthroscopy, and that those effects disappeared after one year. The panel says The surgery is performed more than 2 million times a year across the globe.