CARTILAGE DAMAGE

Cartilage Damage is a frequent form of injury. It most often affects the knees, although it may also affect the hips, ankles, and elbows. Cartilage is a strong, flexible tissue found throughout the body. It coats the surface of joints, functioning as a shock absorber and enabling bones to move over each other. It may be injured by a rapid accident, such as a sports injury or progressive wear and strain (osteoarthritis).

SYMPTOMS

Individuals who have joint cartilage damage may experience the following symptoms:

  • Stiffness
  • Joint locking
  • Inflammation – the affected region expands, gets warmer than the rest of the body, and becomes sensitive, sore, and painful.
  • Range limitation – the affected limb will not move so freely and easily as the damage progresses.

DIAGNOSIS

To diagnose Cartilage Damage, your doctor may perform the following:

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). An imaging test that may assist in identifying deteriorating cartilage by using a magnetic field and radio waves.

Arthroscopy. This test is done by inserting a tube-like tool into a joint. This method may aid in determining the degree of cartilage injury.

TREATMENT

There are numerous surgical alternatives available for cartilage damage based on various parameters such as the patient’s age and activity level, the size of the lesion, and how long ago the injury occurred. Among the surgical possibilities are:

Debridement. It is the process of smoothing out damaged cartilage and eliminating loose edges to keep it from rubbing and aggravating other body regions.

Marrow Stimulation. The doctor creates small holes beneath the injured cartilage, exposing the blood veins that reside within the bone. This results in forming a blood clot within the cartilage, which stimulates the synthesis of new cartilage. 

Mosaicplasty. It s a procedure in which healthy, undamaged cartilage is removed from one location and transferred to the injured site. It is only utilized for isolated regions of cartilage injury 10-20 millimeters in size; this method is most typically performed in individuals under the age of 50 who have suffered damage in an accident.

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation. It is the process of removing a tiny piece of cartilage and transporting it to a laboratory. It is cultured here in order to produce more cartilage cells. The new cartilage cells are transplanted into the knee around 1 to 3 months later when they develop into healthy tissue.

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