1. Characteristics of participants.
| Study ID | Age range (years) | Osteoarthritis and criteria | Meniscal tear and criteria |
| Trials with a placebo control | |||
| Moseley 1996 | < 70 | ACR‐defined or clinically diagnosed | No criteria re presence/absence specified |
| Moseley 2002 | < 70 | ACR‐defined or clinically diagnosed | No criteria re presence/absence specified |
| Sihvonen 2013 | 35 to 65 | KL grade 0 to 1 | Medial meniscal tear on MRI |
| Roos 2018 | 35 to 55 | KL grade 0 to 2 | Medial meniscal tear on MRI |
| Trials with an exercise control | |||
| Gauffin 2014 | 45 to 64 | < 50% joint narrowing | Clinically suspected meniscal injury (66/75 randomised to surgery received surgery but only 56 had partial meniscectomies (1 loose bodies removed, 1 synovectomy, 1 partial resection ACL remnant, 8 deemed surgery unnecessary; of the 16/75 who crossed over to surgery, 11 had 11 partial meniscectomies (1 loose bodies removed, 1 microfracture, 1 partial resection ACL remnant, 1 deemed surgery unnecessary and 2 unknown). 3 ACL total ruptures were found (2 surgical group, 1 in non‐surgery group who crossed over toe surgery) |
| Herrlin 2007 | 45 to 65 | Grade 0 to 1 Ahlbacks classification | Medial meniscal tear |
| Katz 2013 | 45 or older meniscal tear, mild to mod OA, KL grade 0‐3 | KL grade 0 to 3 | Meniscal tear |
| Kirkley 2008 | 18 or older | KL grade 2 to 4 except grade 4 if involves both compartments | Exclude large meniscal tear (bucket handle tear) mainly clinical, few had MRIs |
| Kise 2016 | 35 to 60 | KL grade 0 to 2 | Medial meniscal tear |
| Osteras 2012 | 35 to 60 | KL grade 0 to 2 | Meniscal tear |
| Van de Graaf 2018 | 45 to 70 | KL grade 0 to 3 | Meniscal tear |
| Yim 2013 | no age restriction specified | KL grade 0 to 1 | Medial posterior horn horizontal meniscal tear on MRI |
| Trials with other controls | |||
| Saeed 2015 | >40 | KL grade 2 and 3 | No criteria re presence/absence specified |
| Vermesan 2013 | Not specified | medial compartment cartilage and meniscus lesions on MRI | Medial compartment cartilage and meniscus lesions on MRI |
| Chang 1993 | >20 | KL grades 1 to 3 | No criteria re presence/absence specified |
| Merchan 1993 | Not specified | minimal joint space narrowing and formation of small osteophytes | No criteria re presence/absence specified |
ACR: American College of Rheumatology; ACL: anterior cruciate ligament; KL grade: Kellgren‐Lawrence classification grade; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging