Cartilage Restoration Procedures

If you have knee pain, you may suffer from damaged cartilage. The cartilage around your knee is a rubbery material which covers the end of your bones. This cartilage helps to absorb shock and reduce friction in your joint. As the cartilage deteriorates or becomes damaged it can limit your movement and cause you severe pain in your knee. If you do not treat damaged cartilage you can worsen the condition and eventually required knee replacement knee cartilagetherapy.

Who qualifies for cartilage restoration procedures?

Cartilage restoration procedures are a treatment for knees that are otherwise healthy, not affected by arthritis, but are still deteriorating. The treatment is typically recommended for patients who have damage to their knee cartilage caused by a sports injury, trauma, congenital abnormality, or mono disorder, or repetitive use of the joint.

What happens during the procedure?

Before your doctor agrees to go through with cartilage restoration procedures, you will have an MRI to determine how severe the injury to your cartilage is and the location and size of the damage. Many of the knee procedures performed are done with an arthroscope, which is a popular modern surgical tool/procedure used to limit the pain and recovery time for surgery.

This is a surgical tool and process which is minimally invasive and often recommended for most knees surgeries this process requires an initial incision which is quite small in your meet. After the first incision is made a long and thin tube will be placed inside the cut, this too has a camera at the end which is connected to the videoscreen inside of the operating room. The surgeon can then get a better view inside of your knee joint through this camera and knee cartilage defectdetermine where the afflicted cartilage is located and the severity of the afflicted cartilage.

Many times you can have the affected area rectified during this procedure. If the doctor finds the affected cartilage, they can make a secondary incision through which the microscopic surgical tools are inserted and the cartilage is repaired and restored. Due to the small incisions and the minimally invasive nature of this procedure, recovery time is faster than a standard surgical procedure. In addition, the surgical process itself takes an average of two hours. It is typically performed as an outpatient procedure which means you do not have to spend the night in the hospital.

What happens after the procedure?

After the procedure it is recommended that you have somebody take you home and stay with you for the first night. Within one week you should be able to dress yourself and within 4 to 6 weeks you should be completely healed. Your Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon will talk to you about any potential complications and a rehabilitation process which you will design together. Depending on the severity of your surgical procedure, you may need to complete your physical therapy under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. This is imperative for you to regain the motion and flexibility of your knee.

Dr. Raj is the top Beverly Hills and Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon, and is an expert in cartilage restoration procedures. Most insurance is accepted, simply call (310) 247-0466 today!

 

References:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00422

https://www.rush.edu/services/cartilage-restoration-center