The joints in the body are essential for movement, everyday activities, and sports — but they take a lot of force and wear throughout your life. One of the critical components of the joints is the rubbery tissue that protects the bones — cartilage.
Cartilage is a tough type of tissue in nearly every joint in the body. Its main job is to keep the bones from rubbing and holding other bones together. It also supports your body weight when you’re active.
Although the body’s cartilage is strong and made to last, it can wear down or become damaged from overuse or trauma. Without cartilage, the bones are at risk for damage, and the joints are at risk for arthritis.
At Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, our team specializes in sports injuries, joint damage, and cartilage repair. Dr. Brian Snow and Dr. Jon Thompson are board-certified orthopedic surgeons providing cutting-edge technology to repair cartilage damage and restore joint mobility.
Cartilage is an essential component in the body, reducing friction and supporting the joints. However, it’s not indestructible, meaning it can be damaged by sports injuries or long-term overuse and wear.
There are a few different types of cartilage. Hyaline cartilage is the elastic and springy form of cartilage between the joints. Damage to this type of cartilage produces different signs and symptoms, including:
Knee, hip, and shoulder pain are common when you have cartilage damage. The pain may be sudden or develop over time, depending on the severity of the injury. Leaving the damaged cartilage untreated puts the joint at risk for more injury and wear.
The great news is that we can restore damaged cartilage through a few surgical procedures. We typically perform these procedures arthroscopically, meaning they are less invasive and require only a few small incisions.
However, only some are good candidates for cartilage restoration. Our team carefully evaluates your joint, MRI images, and X-rays to determine if you could benefit from the procedure.
The best candidates are teens and young adults who only have one area of cartilage damage in the joint. They’re more likely to grow new cartilage and heal quickly. Older adults with multiple areas of damage won't respond as well to the procedure.
If we determine you have a focal area of cartilage damage, our team evaluates your needs and specific goals to determine which type of cartilage restoration is best for you. We offer several types of cartilage restoration that we typically provide using minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques.
There are several ways to restore damaged cartilage, some through tissue use and others through a donor graft. A few of the options we provide include the following:
The goal of cartilage restoration surgery is to stimulate your body to regrow cartilage over a defect or replace it with cartilage from another body or a donor. Although it takes time, these procedures are the best options for your joint and mobility.
You will require several months of physical therapy and activity modifications to ensure the new cartilage is healthy and works to protect the joint.
We discuss many benefits of cartilage restoration with you before the procedure. The main benefit is restoring the articular cartilage to reduce wear on the joint surface.
Cartilage restoration may also help you avoid chronic painful conditions like osteoarthritis from friction and inflammation over time. Protecting the joint surface through cartilage regrowth slows the progression of arthritis and other conditions.
New cartilage also restores the range of motion in the joint, especially when we pair it with a rehabilitation program and physical therapy. The new cartilage allows the joint to move purposefully, which prevents stiffness and locking.
Cartilage restoration is an excellent option because it’s typically minimally invasive and provides renewed support to the damaged joint. It may prevent the need for more invasive procedures, like total joint replacements, in the future.
Call Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine today at one of our conveniently located offices in Texas to schedule a consultation with Dr. Snow or Dr. Thompson. You can also request a consultation for cartilage restoration using our convenient online booking tool.
