What are articular cartilage defects?

Articular cartilage defects may be the result of degeneration from age, repetitive wear and tear, or a traumatic event such as an injury from falling on the knee, jumping down, or twisting the knee. Sometimes, these injuries also occur in relation to a fracture or ligamentous injury in the knee.

What is the treatment for articular cartilage injury?

Initial treatment of an acute articular cartilage injury consists of rest, ice, elevation, anti-inflammatory medications, protected weight bearing and range of motion exercises. Medication . Your doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication.

What is a cartilage defect in the knee?

A cartilage defect is an area of damaged cartilage. The cause of a cartilage defect can be due to trauma, osteonecrosis, osteochondritis, and other conditions.

Can articular cartilage be repaired?

Articular cartilage can be damaged by injury or normal wear and tear. Because cartilage does not heal itself well, doctors have developed surgical techniques to stimulate the growth of new cartilage. Restoring articular cartilage can relieve pain and allow better function.

What causes articular cartilage damage?

What causes an articular cartilage injury? Articular cartilage injuries can occur as a result of either traumatic or progressive degeneration (wear and tear). With mechanical destruction, a direct blow or other trauma can injure the articular cartilage.

How is a chondral defect treated?

The most commonly performed procedures for treating chondral defects are Shaving and Microfracture. This arthroscopic technique has been popular for 20 years and has had very satisfactory results for over 75% of patients.

How do you fix cartilage damage in the knee?

Cartilage damage is repaired using arthroscopic (or keyhole) surgery, which means minimal impact on healthy parts of your knee, less scarring and quicker recovery times. The cartilage may be removed, trimmed or smoothed down using special tools.

Is walking good for knee cartilage?

When the joints bear weight via any kind of weight-bearing exercise, the exercise can help rebuild the joint cartilage. Walking or weight-bearing also strengthens the bones that form the knee joint.

Can you live without articular cartilage?

If there was no articular cartilage the bone surfaces would rapidly wear away due the friction that occurs when bone rubs against bone. Articular cartilage is self-lubricating because of its high fluid content which gives it the lowest coefficient of friction of any natural or man-made material.

What is the best treatment for knee cartilage damage?

protect the affected area from further injury by using a support, such as a knee brace. rest the affected joint. elevate the affected limb and apply an ice pack to the joint regularly. take ordinary painkillers, such as paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.

Can you walk with torn knee cartilage?

A torn meniscus usually produces well-localized pain in the knee. The pain often is worse during twisting or squatting motions. Unless the torn meniscus has locked the knee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit, and sleep without pain.

What causes articular cartilage defects in the knee?

Articular cartilage defects may be the result of degeneration from age, repetitive wear and tear, or a traumatic event such as an injury from falling on the knee, jumping down, or twisting the knee.

Can a dorsal defect of the patella cause knee pain?

Dorsal defect of patella occurs in males and females with equal frequency and is most frequently found in adolescents. It is bilateral in up to one-third of individuals. This condition often is asymptomatic and an incidental finding on knee imaging, but it occasionally may be the cause of knee pain.

How does retropatellar cartilage affect the knee surface?

Mostly retropatellar cartilage does not affect the entire surface, the medial and lateral facets are examined separately. The examiner will shift the patella medially, that way the medial protrudes from the intercondylar fossa and can be palpated directly.

What to do with loose articular cartilage in knee?

This is generally reserved for smaller partial thickness articular cartilage defects with loose articular cartilage fragments. This includes cases of arthritis. In this case, the loose articular fragments are removed with a shaver so as to help to smooth the articular defect to allow for an improved but not normal gliding surface.

What are articular cartilage defects? Articular cartilage defects may be the result of degeneration from age, repetitive wear and tear, or a traumatic event such as an injury from falling on the knee, jumping down, or twisting the knee. Sometimes, these injuries also occur in relation to a fracture or ligamentous injury in the knee.…