It all depends on the Doctor you choose! Go with referrals to save yourself time. I'm in my mid 30s and developed a non cancerous cyst behind my knee. I went to Dr. Lehman and he told me to remove it overseas while I was traveling and in the meantime gave me a cortisone shot that hurt like a mother! It did help as I was traveling a lot, but I opted out of getting surgery in Spain... umm no thanks. When I returned and got proper insurance. Dr. Lehman had a different diagnosis and I could tell he was losing his edge as he's in his 80s. IF I needed to do surgery, I wanted a more polish Dr. I got a referral to see Dr. Weeks, but he was on vacation. So I saw Dr. Fleischli and got x rays done with him. He said surgery 3-4x without my MRI results and was an in and out Dr. who treated me just like a number. When I was leaving, I said surgery was the last option and he says, "Yes were on the same page"... ummm I didn't feel that way per our conversation.
Finally (3rd opinion) I go to Dr. Weeks. He was very 1 on 1, not rushed, polite and said there is no reason for me to get surgery and explained the options of cortisone shots (which he's not a fan of) and Euflexxa gel type injections to help lubricate the knee. I felt much more comfortable with Dr. Weeks. I showed him an article and he knew it right away, which gave him the credibility that he is on top of it when it comes to knee issues. After reading more about cortisone shots and how they can weaken your muscles over time, I was against them too.
Go to Dr. Weeks, he is simply amazing. He gave me in depth knowledge on how to protect me knees and prevent wear and tear with age.