Cartilage damage
Minor cartilage damage may improve on its own within a few weeks, but more severe damage will often require surgery.
This page covers:
Initial treatment and self-care
Less common surgical procedures
If you've injured your joint and your symptoms aren't too severe for example, you're still able toput weight on and move the jointyou can often look after yourself using "PRICE therapy".
PRICE stands for:
If your joint is painful, take ordinary painkillers such as paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) .
Visit your GP if your symptoms haven't started to improve after a few days of PRICE therapy.
Physiotherapy canbe helpful if you have difficulty moving the affected joint. Your GP may be able to refer you to a physiotherapist, or you may choose to pay for private treatment.
A physiotherapist can teach you exercises to helpstrengthen the muscles surrounding or supporting your joint. Thismay helpto reduce pain andpressure on the joint.
Physiotherapy can also beuseful when you're recovering from the surgical procedures described below.
Severe cartilage damage doesn't tend to heal very well on its own, so surgery is often necessary in these cases.
Surgeryisusually performed using arthroscopy a type of "keyhole" surgery where special instruments are inserted into the joint through small cuts (incisions)although sometimes larger incisions need to be made.
It's normallycarried outunder general anaesthetic (where you're asleep).
Some of the main procedures are:
Talk to your surgeon about which type of surgery they think is best for you, what the possible risks are, and how long they expect it will take you to recover.
You'llusually need to take things easy for at least a few weeks after surgery, and you may not be able to return to strenuous activities and sports for several months.
There are also a number of alternative surgical techniques that are sometimes used to treat cartilage damage, including:
However, these procedures are only carried out in a few hospitals in the UKand aren't routinely provided on the NHS.You may be able to pay for them privately, but theycan be very expensive.
TheNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)says there's too much uncertainty about ACI for it to be used on the NHS, unless it's being done as part of a clinical trial .But this will be reviewed again soon, so this recommendation may change.
For more information, see the NICE guidance onthe use of autologous chondrocyte implantation for the treatment of cartilage defects in the knee joints .
Find out about the symptoms, causes and treatments for cartilage damage, and when you should seek medical attention.
Minor cartilage damage may improve on its own within a few weeks, but more severe damage will often require surgery.