Cartilage Restoration – KNEE MD Centers

Cartilage in the knee and shoulder is especially vulnerable to tears from injury, particularly during sports. If you’re experiencing symptoms of a cartilage tear, Knee MD & Sports Medicine can help. We treat old athletic injuries, which commonly involve torn cartilage. If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, our cartilage restoration procedures can help you as well.

Symptoms of cartilage damage include:

Joint pain and tenderness
Swelling
Locking or catching
Loss of function
Pain may increase with movement
Your joint may “give out,” especially in the knee

Orthopaedic surgeons at Knee MD & Sports Medicine can diagnose a cartilage tear by reviewing your medical history, performing a thorough examination of the joint, and ordering an X-ray and MRI. An MRI scan provides a very detailed picture of your joint, particularly showing the cartilage and ligaments. Tell your doctor about all of your symptoms, activities, and the circumstances that lead to the injury.

Cartilage in the joint does not have a good blood supply and is not able to heal itself, and your symptoms will get worse over time as the cartilage continues to deteriorate. Consequently, most cartilage tears require surgery for treatment.

Arthroscopic surgery is commonly used for cartilage restoration. It allows surgeons to see, diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint. Arthroscopy is less invasive than open surgical procedures. It is associated with a decreased risk of infection, minimal bleeding, less pain, and a shorter recovery period.

When possible, our experts perform cartilage repair surgery to preserve the natural knee for as long as possible and at least slow the progression of osteoarthritis, delaying the need for total knee replacement.

Microfracture

The microfracture technique can be safe and effective in treating degenerative areas in early knee arthritis or cartilage injuries in active patients. This technique is performed arthroscopically for cartilage repair by stimulating stem cells from the bone marrow underneath the area where cartilage is intended to regenerate. This surgery is done as an outpatient where no overnight stay is required. Patients are asked not to put their full weight down on the joint for 4 – 6 weeks in order to keep pressure off the healing cartilage area. Range of motion and other strengthening exercises begin immediately after surgery. Studies show that the microfracture technique helps improve patients’ function and reduces symptoms. With a structured physical therapy program, patients may resume low impact sports activities such as biking, swimming and walking as early as 2 months.

Cartilage transplantation

There are two main types of cartilage transplantation. Autologous cartilage implantation (ACI) and ostechondral articular transfer (OAT). Both techniques are FDA approved for treatment of cartilage defects in focal areas of the knee joint.

ACI is performed in two stages. The first stage is usually performed arthroscopically to harvest healthy cartilage from a nonarthritic or undamaged portion of your joint that does not support weight bearing. This is similar to removing a wall in your home that does not support the weight of the rest of the house or roof. The healthy cartilage is then processed and grown for 4 – 6 weeks to produce more cartilage producing cells. After this an open surgical procedure is performed during the next stage of the technique in order to “patch” the cartilage defect in the knee. Patients are asked not to put their full weight down on the joint for 6 weeks in order to keep pressure off the healing cartilage area. Range of motion and other strengthening exercises begin immediately after surgery. Studies show that the microfracture technique helps improve patients’ function and reduces symptoms. There is a well-define rehabilitation program that is utilized. Patients may resume low impact sports activities such as biking, swimming and walking as early as 3 months. Higher impact activities such as running are achievable after 12 months. Reductions in pain and improvement in function can be expected in the majority of patients treated with ACI.

Osteochondral articular transplantation or transfer is a procedure performed either arthroscopically or through a small incision on the front of the knee. It is done by transferring healthy cartilage from a lesser-weight bearing area of the knee to the portion of the knee with osteoarthritis. A small amount of bone is removed with the overlying healthy cartilage in order to “plug” in the cartilage to the site of osteoarthritis. Patients are asked not to put their full weight down on the joint for 2 – 4 weeks in order to keep pressure off the healing cartilage area. Range of motion and other strengthening exercises begin immediately after surgery. After the procedure, a formal physical therapy program, which usually lasts 6 – 8 weeks. Patients may resume low impact sports activities such as biking, swimming and walking as early as 2 months. Running, pivoting, and other impact sports are permissible at 3 to 4 months. Studies show that the OAT technique to be an effective treatment of cartilage abnormalities. Approximately 85% of patients have good to excellent results and have improved function and reduced symptoms.

Take our quiz and make an appointment for cartilage restoration at Knee MD & Sports Medicine today. We have two offices to serve you in Southlake and Fort Worth, Texas. Dial (817) 335-4316 now!

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