Are we over-treating arthritis?

As much as I can't underestimate the problem we have in this country of people being underserved by our health care system, I feel it is important that we also recognize when certain aspects of our health care system are over-utilized.

This article on CNN.com highlights one way in which we may be seeking too much health care. I think it is important to recognize when we are over-utilizing health care because, as we all know, our system can only provide so much care, and when the system is needlessly used, it limits the amount of care it can provide to other people - people who may need it more.

I recognize that arthroscopic surgery is attractive to many people because it is very uninvasive and has a very short recovery time compared to other orthopedic surgeries, but it is still surgery, and it seems to me as if more people ought to be attracted to the less invasive option of medication and physical therapy, especially if these options are just as effective. Perhaps this study will lead us in a different direction in how we treat arthritis, while at the same time addressing, in a small way, the problem of the over-utilization of our health care resources.