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The knee cartilage is a smooth, elastic tissue that cushions and protects the ends of bones within the knee joint, allowing for seamless movement and reducing friction between surfaces. It plays a crucial role in shock absorption, ensuring stability and flexibility during daily activities and sports. However, cartilage does not have its own blood supply, making it less capable of self-repair when damaged.
Cartilage injuries often result from high-impact activities, twisting motions, or falls. These incidents may dislodge pieces of cartilage, creating loose bodies that float around the knee joint. When these fragments get trapped within the joint, individuals may experience pain, swelling, or knee locking.
When cartilage is damaged, the raw surface of the bone underneath gets exposed, triggering the body’s natural response to produce excess joint fluid to lubricate the knee. As such, the patients experience persistent swelling of the knee.
Additionally, conditions such as a meniscus tear can contribute to further damage by continuously scraping the cartilage surface, leading to the formation of ulcers.
If left untreated, these ulcers can expand, exposing more bone and ultimately progressing into arthritis in knee joints. Over time, this degeneration can significantly impact mobility and quality of life.
Common signs of knee cartilage injuries include:
Several factors contribute to knee cartilage damage:
Sudden trauma from falls, sports, or accidents can tear the cartilage.
High-impact activities like running, jumping, and squatting place excessive strain on the knee.
Cartilage naturally wears down over time, making older individuals more prone to injuries.
Excess weight increases pressure on the knee joint, accelerating cartilage breakdown.
Conditions such as meniscus tears, or fractures heighten the risk of cartilage deterioration.
The treatment approach depends on the severity of the injury, the patient’s age, activity level, and overall knee health.
For mild injuries or patients with minimal symptoms, conservation management may be effective. A patient who is young and leading a sedentary lifestyle with no other pathologies, may benefit from physiotherapy and occasional injection of hyaluronic acid to lubricate the knee whenever symptoms arise.
However, for more severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary. For example, if the patient is young and athletic, surgical intervention such as chondroplasty may aid in recovery and return to pre-injury level of performance.
Chondroplasty is a procedure involving the repair and regeneration of the cartilage ulcers/ defects. Techniques used include:
Extracting stem cells from the bone marrow to promote cartilage regeneration.
Using a supportive structure to confine stem cells to the repair site, encouraging new cartilage growth.
Small holes are drilled into the exposed bone to stimulate the growth of new cartilage tissue.
Healthy cartilage from another part of the body or a donor is transplanted into the damaged area.
Dr Edwin, a knee specialist in Singapore, incorporates these techniques to enhance the healing process, providing patients with a tailored approach to restoring knee function.
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