as we get older, over 50, 60, that's osteoarthritis. that's wear and tear.the tear you may have. the peripheral zone of meniscus has blood vessels. if you have a tear, you will have tendency to to heal better, meaning that physical therapy may help you. but if it's in the middle of the meniscus where there's no blood flow and it's avascular, there's no blood getting to it, it may take a little longer. this particular study that was published in "new england journal of medicine" looked at about 350 participants. half of them went for surgery. half went for physical therapy. six months after they realized that both groups are doing really well. so what is the answer if you have meniscus tear? i say the first line is to talk to your doctor. if you have something called clicking, if your knee locks up, if you have a real tear, i think surgery probably is a better choice for you. if you have swelling and pain, which is the most common signs and symptoms of this, physical therapy would be a great way to go. they may give you anti-inflammatories. they may give you

. >> i was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my right hip and basically the pain just became too much that i knew i had to have something done about it. >> chris found a hip replacement procedure that promised to be minimally invasive with a faster recovery period. he says he asked his insurer, united health care about coverage, but a few days before the surgery. covered for the insurance, but the hospital bills and the anesthist. >> he went ahead with the surgery. then, he faced nearly $30,000 in medical bills. asked news 4 for advice. >> i'm desperate for some where to go. i'm running out of ideas. >> we contacted united health care and after a lengthy told the member was told on several occasions that the hospital was not in his plan's network. but after our story aired, chris appealed once more, and this time, he says, he was asked to provide more detailed documents. >> what she wanted was to show that i had a referral from my pcp, and that the surgery was medically necessary. >> and when he did, problem solved. >> we're pleased to tell you based on the documentation services are

folks, if you're one of the millions of amer with arthritis, osteoarthritis, if you're suffering from joint pain, knee pain, foot pain, back pain, or if you know someone who is, you're not going to want to miss this next half an hour. my guest today is one of the nation's foremost sought-after health and wellness experts, and he's here today to introduce to us a revolutionary all-natural product that is helping thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people eliminate pain. please help me welcome mr. jim shriner. jim. >> hey, mike.

folks, if you're one of the millions of americans suffering with arthritis, osteoarthritis, if you're suffering from joint pain, knee pain, foot pain, back pain, or if you know someone who is, you're not going to want to miss this next half an hour. my guest today is one of the nation's foremost sought-after health and wellness experts, and he's here today to introduce to us a revolutionary all-natural product that is helping thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people eliminate pain. please help me welcome mr. jim shriner. jim. >> hey, mike. it's a pleasure to be here. >> thanks for being my guest. you know, jim, for those of our viewers that don't know you, why don't you just tell us a little

if you have joint arthritis, osteoarthritis involving the knees, the warm water can be soothing to the joints and all the local hospitals, duke, all of the local hospitals will whole lot better. >> let's get swimming. thank you, dr. mask. you can go to wral.com and find more under the health and life tab. >>> keeping the streets clean of litter was never so high- tech. >> a new app can pinpoint the trouble spots. >>> and a politician re-ups his position. >>> and your winning numbers >>> a little diana ross doesn't hurt anybody in the morning. [laughter] keeps you moving. >>> and we have supremely pretty skies to look at. a little sunshine on the solar farm camera, and sunshine in a good part of the area with a few fair weather clouds and thicker in spots, thin in others. here is a look at the camera ?riew south hill, virginia with blue skies and a few fair weather clouds and light winds. it's a nice day. it should be a nice day as we go through the day without any precipitation and areas cool, upper 50s to mid-90s, and a lot of us with the mid to upper and 70 for the rocky mount, wilso

alison: in fox 5 health news, a promising new drug to treat osteoarthritis. it could improve bone health steve: joining us, dr. michael smith with web md. when you get it, you're not alone. >> you're far along the drug. this drug compared to what we have, it might prevent fine fractures. to take a step back, if you're diagnosed with osteoporosis, you'll get the tried and true like fosamax. they but if you have severe or if you fracture a bone, even on treatment, you're going to get a newer drug. why don't we go to them firsthand? they're expensive. they're injectable. they're more powerful. they will build a bone whereas the older bones stop bone loss. a huge benefit. but there are concerns like the one that's currently available on the market, some evidence that in rats it might cause bone cancer. high doses. they won't be used first off. good to have another option. steve: this isn't a surprise. a warning. many college students binge drink even though they know it's bad. alison: nothing's changed. steve: hard to get 20 years old to think of mortality. >> th