The tough yet elastic tissue that covers the ends of bones in the knee is called articular cartilage. Working in tandem with meniscal cartilage, articular cartilage acts as a shock absorber for the knee, allowing the joint to withstand the day-to-day pressures of walking, running, sitting and standing.?Like meniscal cartilage, articular cartilage can become damaged through the trauma of injury or as a result of the wear and tear that occurs over a lifetime.?Orthopaedic surgeons at the Rush CRC? have a full range of options at their disposal to help patients maintain ? or regain ? the active lifestyles they value.

Early Intervention

The Rush CRC offers several options for regeneration and repair of damaged articular cartilage, starting with methods for repairing early, localized damage ? called focal chondral defects. These methods include:

Arthroscopic debridement and microfracture ? Aided by a small camera, surgeons can locate damaged tissue and trim away areas of torn cartilage. Surgeons can also use this method to carefully create small holes in the uncovered bone ? called microfractures ? which heal to form a type of cartilage covering that resembles normal articular cartilage.

Repairing Larger Defects

For patients with more extensive cartilage damage, the Rush CRC offers a range of methods for cartilage restoration using natural tissue ? either the patient?s own tissue or donated tissue. Methods include:

Autologous cartilage cell implantation ? This is one of the most advanced techniques for cartilage regeneration. This technique allows surgeons to harvest cells from a patient?s own cartilage. The cells are subsequently cultured, then reimplanted in the knee to repair and resurface areas of cartilage loss.

cartilage Cells

Osteochondral autograft ? This technique, analogous to a hair-plug transfer, allows surgeons to remove a small section of the patient?s own bone and cartilage from an area of the knee that does not bear weight, and transfer the plug to a damaged portion of the knee.

Donor Plugs

When Pain is Long-Standing

Many patients suffer for years with arthritis that limits even the simplest activities. For these patients, surgeons at Rush offer a range of methods to relieve pain and restore function.

Injectable viscosupplementation ? Surgeons inject the knee with a substance that offers relief from pain by lubricating the joint.

Osteotomy ? A procedure where a surgeon cuts the thigh or shin bone to realign the leg, shifting the weight-bearing burden from the painful portion of the knee, where cartilage is missing or damaged, to a healthier stronger portion of the knee.

Unicompartmental knee replacement ? This procedure can delay the need for a total knee replacement by resurfacing only the damaged compartment or side of the knee. The procedure requires only a short hospital stay, allowing patients to quickly return to their active lifestyles.

Total knee replacement ? In the event that arthritis is more extensive, patients can have the knee?s damaged surfaces completely replaced with artificial components, allowing return to pain-free activities.

For more information on Repairing Articular Cartilage please visit BrianColeMD.com