Surgery is usually the last treatment considered, but if you injure the cartilage in your knee, surgery may be the only way to restore a healthy joint. At Samimi Orthopedic Group, Babak Samimi, MD, and David Eldringhoff, MD, specialize in advanced knee cartilage surgery, using several cartilage restoration techniques to regenerate new cartilage and ease your pain. To schedule an appointment, call one of the Los Angeles area offices in Brentwood, West Covina, or Sherman Oaks, California, or book online today.
Articular cartilage covers the ends of each leg bone in your knee. The rubbery cartilage limits friction and enables smooth movement. Though articular cartilage gradually wears away with knee arthritis, knee cartilage surgery treats different cartilage problems.
You can develop articular cartilage damage due to problems other than arthritis. You may:
Any injury can tear the articular cartilage or pull a small piece away from the underlying bone. Samimi Orthopedic Group repairs this type of damage with knee cartilage surgery.
Damaged articular cartilage causes knee problems such as:
When you suffer from knee pain, you naturally change your gait to reduce the load on that knee. Unfortunately, altering your movement causes misalignment between your ankle, knee, and hip, which in turn leads to pain in the other joints.
The standard medical care for damaged articular cartilage includes rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy. These treatments may minimize your pain but don't solve the problem because cartilage doesn't heal well on its own.
Samimi Orthopedic Group specializes in several surgical techniques to stimulate new cartilage growth:
Your provider removes the damaged cartilage, then uses a tool to make small holes in the bone. These controlled injuries stimulate healing and promote better blood flow, bringing cells that produce new blood vessels and cartilage.
In cases of more severe cartilage damage, your provider removes all the cartilage, then uses a specialized tool to scrape the bone's surface. The scraping promotes that same healing response as a knee microfracture.
During this procedure, your provider takes a small plug of healthy articular cartilage from another area and transplants it to the damaged area in your knee. If you have extensive articular cartilage damage and need more than a few plugs, your provider can implant a larger cartilage transplant from a cadaver donor.
The meniscus isn’t articular cartilage; it’s a different type of cartilage located between the two leg bones. If you meet the qualifications, your provider may replace a damaged meniscus with a cartilage transplant.
To learn more about knee cartilage surgery, call Samimi Orthopedic Group or book an appointment online today.
