A great majority of patients who have a partial menisectomy for mechanical symptoms do well with full return of function without pain. There is a sub-group of patients who are found to have Grade II- III chondromalacia lesions (deemed arthritic) at the time of surgery that have persistent generalized arthritic-type pain despite relief of their mechanical symptoms. To date, there are no published studies analyzing if this treatment is better than no treatment in this group of patients. We would expect patients who receive the treatment (Hylan G-F 20) to have lower pain compared to the patients who were in the placebo group (had the needle injected into the knee but no medication or substance injected) since Hylan G-F 20 has been shown to decrease pain in arthritic patients.
The investigators' objective is to analyze a group of patients who have had a partial meniscectomy but continue to have knee pain after surgery with a double-blind, randomized prospective study comparing the use of Hylan G-F 20(single injection of a viscosupplementation) versus placebo injection. The investigators would expect patients who receive the treatment (Hylan G-F 20) to have lower pain compared to the patients who were in the placebo group (had the needle injected into the knee but no medication or substance injected) since Hylan G-F 20 has been shown to decrease pain in arthritic patients.