Cue music ... ... " I get no kick from champagne ..." ... but I do get a kick out of people who will go to doctor after doctor, get the same diagnosis and complain because they are not hearing what THEY want to hear ... anyone ever think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, these highly educated and skilled individuals MIGHT know what they are talking about ?!? ... Yes, doctors make mistakes - they are human, and quite often they are making a diagnosis based on what WE are telling them - but for the most part, I am willing to bet that at least 50% of the people on this forum over the age of 50 have had some major procedure successfully performed by some doctor ...
And when it comes to something like a torn knee cartilage, I am sorry to say, the only true remedy IS surgery ... you can try different kinds of injections, acupuncture, exercise, diet, whatever, but NOTHING external is going to REPAIR a torn cartilage ... and as that thing keeps flopping around in the knee the mobility decreases and the pain increases ... believe me, been there done that, BOTH knees, and am I ever thankful for total knee replacement surgery ...
My wife had rotator cuff surgery after she got to the point that she couldn't lift anything and she is far better off for having done so ... she will soon be undergoing hip replacement, and we are both absolutely confident she will be doing much better in a few months ...

I wish you all well, and hopefully all our ails are healed by some mystical intervention, but in the meanwhile, I will continue to utilize the trained professionals, with all the modern means they have at hand to determine the problem and evaluate the best course of action, and trust in their judgement ...

BTW - Disclaimer: The only medical professional in our family is our son, who happens to be an excellent dentist.