The Reading / Listening - Knee Surgery - Level 2

Thousands of people have knee surgery. A new study from Finland says many of these people might be wasting their money. The surgeons who did the study said some knee surgery can make knee problems worse and not better. The surgeons spent 10 years studying knee operations. They found that surgery on knee cartilage rarely worked. The doctors said many of these operations were unnecessary. They added that some operations increased cartilage damage. One doctor said that patients who have this procedure "have more pain".

In happier knee news, doctors from a university in the USA have found a new way to help long-term knee pain. One doctor has performed simple operations. These involve reducing the flow of blood to painful areas in the knee. Less blood in those areas reduces swelling and pain. The doctor says her method is better than medicine and physical therapy. She also believes people can avoid knee surgery and knee replacements. She said her method could "provide years of relief" by reducing pain inside the knee joint. She said 70 per cent of patients have great results.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Knee Surgery - Level 0 Knee Surgery - Level 1   or  Knee Surgery - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260622091502.htm
  • https://scitechdaily.com/this-tiny-bead-procedure-is-helping-patients-avoid-knee-replacement/
  • https://www.aol.com/articles/common-knee-surgery-may-more-090018699.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. thousands
  2. A new study from
  3. people might be wasting
  4. surgery can make knee
  5. The surgeons spent 10 years
  6. many of these operations were
  7. some operations increased cartilage
  8. patients who have this
  1. unnecessary
  2. their money
  3. problems worse
  4. procedure
  5. of people
  6. damage
  7. Finland
  8. studying

Paragraph 2

  1. happier knee
  2. doctors from a
  3. reducing the flow of blood
  4. better than medicine and physical
  5. people can avoid
  6. provide years of
  7. reducing pain inside the knee
  8. 70 per cent of patients
  1. relief
  2. have great results
  3. university in the USA
  4. to painful areas
  5. joint
  6. news
  7. therapy
  8. knee surgery

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) _________________________________________________ have knee surgery. A new study from Finland says many of these people (2) _________________________________________________ their money. The surgeons who did the study said some knee surgery can make knee problems (3) _________________________________________________ better. The surgeons spent 10 years studying knee operations. They found that surgery (4) _________________________________________________ rarely worked. The doctors said many of these operations were unnecessary. They (5) _________________________________________________ operations increased cartilage damage. One doctor said that patients who have this procedure "(6) _________________________________________________".

In (7) _________________________________________________, doctors from a university in the USA have found a new way to (8) _________________________________________________ knee pain. One doctor has performed simple operations. These involve reducing the (9) _________________________________________________ to painful areas in the knee. Less blood in those areas reduces (10) _________________________________________________. The doctor says her method is better than medicine (11) _________________________________________________. She also believes people can avoid knee surgery and knee replacements. She said her method could "provide (12) _________________________________________________" by reducing pain inside the knee joint. She said 70 per cent of patients have great results.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thousandsofpeoplehavekneesurgery.AnewstudyfromFinlandsaysm
anyofthesepeoplemightbewastingtheirmoney.Thesurgeonswhodidt
hestudysaidsomekneesurgerycanmakekneeproblemsworseandnot
better.Thesurgeonsspent10yearsstudyingkneeoperations.Theyfou
ndthatsurgeryonkneecartilagerarelyworked.Thedoctorssaidmanyof
theseoperationswereunnecessary.Theyaddedthatsomeoperationsi
ncreasedcartilagedamage.Onedoctorsaidthatpatientswhohavethisp
rocedure"havemorepain".Inhappierkneenews,doctorsfromaunivers
ityintheUSAhavefoundanewwaytohelplong-termkneepain.Onedoc
torhasperformedsimpleoperations.Theseinvolvereducingtheflowofb
loodtopainfulareasintheknee.Lessbloodinthoseareasreducesswellin
gandpain.Thedoctorsayshermethodisbetterthanmedicineandphysic
altherapy.Shealsobelievespeoplecanavoidkneesurgeryandkneerepl
acements.Shesaidhermethodcould"provideyearsofrelief"byreducin
gpaininsidethekneejoint.Shesaid70percentofpatientshavegreatres
ults.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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