Cartilage Injuries

What is cartilage?

Cartilage is a special tissue that covers the bone in the joint area. It allows low-friction gliding between the joint surfaces and also provides some shock absorption.

What types of cartilage lesions are there?

It is important to precisely locate cartilage lesions—not just which bone they affect (femur, tibia, patella) but the specific anatomical region. For example, a lesion on the medial femoral condyle (inner side) requires a different approach than one on the trochlea (the groove where the patella sits). These injuries may be traumatic (e.g., sports injuries or fractures) or degenerative (progressive
wear). They are also classified by depth, using the Outerbridge grading system: Grade 1: cartilage softening
Grade 2: partial-thickness lesion
Grade 3: partial-thickness lesion with fissures extending to subchondral bone
Grade 4: full-thickness cartilage loss with bone exposure If left untreated, cartilage lesions can lead to osteoarthritis of the knee.

What symptoms do cartilage lesions cause?

Common symptoms include pain that worsens with load-bearing and swelling in the joint. There may also be a sensation of a loose body inside the joint.

How are cartilage injuries treated?

For partial-thickness or degenerative and diffuse lesions, the goal is to slow down degeneration and control symptoms. Initial treatment includes chondroprotective supplements (glucosamine and chondroitin) and
physiotherapy to reduce inflammation and improve muscle condition. Joint injections (anti-inflammatories, viscosupplementation, or growth factors) may
help symptomatic patients. In full-thickness traumatic lesions, surgical treatment may be beneficial. Techniques like nano-microfracture, mosaicplasty, and cartilage autograft can regenerate localized cartilage defects. Recovery from cartilage surgery is typically slow and includes a non-weight-bearing period of 4 to 6 weeks. In cases where cartilage damage is associated with changes in the alignment of the limb (varus or valgus) limb (varus or valgus), the correction of this alignment (osteotomy) slows down the progression or even, in some cases, it is possible to recover some thickness of the cartilage. cartilage.

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