What are articular cartilage defects?
What are articular cartilage defects?
Articular cartilage defect is a common knee injury. Cartilage is frequently injured, often resulting from sports related trauma or overuse. The articular cartilage has a limiting capacity to heal itself naturally, due to the anatomy of the knee. Articular cartilage damage can worsen over time if not properly managed.
What are the symptoms of cartilage damage in the knee?
Symptoms of cartilage damage
- joint pain – this may continue even when resting and worsen when you put weight on the joint.
- swelling – this may not develop for a few hours or days.
- stiffness.
- a clicking or grinding sensation.
- the joint locking, catching, or giving way.
How do you treat articular knee cartilage?
Articular Cartilage Injury
- Rest .
- Ice .
- Bandage/Compression Wraps .
- Elevation .
- Medication . Your doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication.
- Crutches . Your doctor may advise you to use crutches to take pressure off the knee, reduce pain and increase mobility.
- Physical Therapy .
What happens if the articular cartilage becomes damaged?
Patients with damage to the cartilage in a joint (articular cartilage damage) will experience: Inflammation – the area swells, becomes warmer than other parts of the body, and is tender, sore, and painful. Stiffness. Range limitation – as the damage progresses, the affected limb will not move so freely and easily.
What is patellar cartilage?
The patella rests in a groove on top of the femur called the trochlear groove. When you bend and straighten your knee, the patella moves back and forth inside this groove. A slippery substance called articular cartilage covers the ends of the femur, trochlear groove, and the underside of the patella.
How do you treat knee cartilage damage?
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.
How to treat cartilage damage?
Severe cartilage damage does not tend to heal very well on its own, so surgery is often necessary in these cases. Surgery is usually performed using arthroscopy – a type of keyhole surgery where instruments are inserted into the joint through small cuts (incisions) – although sometimes larger incisions need to be made.
How to repair knee cartilage naturally?
Supplements containing glucosamine and chondroiton can to an extent help in supporting the damaged cartilage. Foods containing vitamin A, C, D and K are also beneficial. Meat, liver, cheese, eggs, fish, apricot, broccoli, Swiss chard, watercress, parsley, kale, all are useful in building and supporting the cartilage.
What’s new in cartilage repair?
Knee Cartilage Regeneration. Cartilage tissue’s ability to repair itself is severely limited because it does not contain blood vessels, and bleeding is necessary for healing. A surgeon can encourage new cartilage growth by making small cuts or abrasions in the bone underneath the injured cartilage .
What is cartilage defect?
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. Cartilage defects are most commonly seen in the knee joint, where it is often caused by trauma and seen in association with ligament injuries, such as ACL tears. 1