Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Failed to Beat Placebo in Chronic Meniscus Tears
On EconTalk, cardiologist John Mandrola makes the case for medical conservatism: many procedures should face stronger evidence before becoming routine, especially when patients may improve through natural recovery, expectation, or the clinical ritual itself. Using placebo-controlled knee surgery and other examples, Mandrola argues that medicine often mistakes improvement after intervention for improvement because of intervention. He tells Russ Roberts that the point is not nihilism, but humility: clinicians should test more, intervene less reflexively, and continue caring even when fixing is not the right goal.
Hoover Institution·Jun 29, 2026·16 min read
