In the presence of chondromalacia of the central ridge or generalized over the whole patella there is usually no definable cause treatable by arthroscopy.
We can be temporarily incapacitated by drug overdose, mental illness, an alcoholic binge, treatable physical illness or injury.
I have vein grafts duplex scanned every 3 months for the first year to pick up treatable problems.
Yet it seems reprehensible, particularly for Americans, to declare hopelessness on behalf of people dying of a treatable disease.
Only when treatable causes have been excluded should other treatment modalities for chronic pain be considered.