Articular cartilage damage

Cartilage structures and functions can relatively easily be harmed, often resulting in damage. Such damage can result from a variety of causes, resulting from a bad fall or sport-accident (traumatic), previous knee injuries (post-traumatic) or wear and tear over time. Immobilisation for long periods can also result in cartilage damage.

Articular cartilage damage might be found on its own but it will more often be found in conjuction with injuries to ligaments and menisci. People with previous repairs to ligaments and or menisci often face more chances to articular cartilage damage due to alterned mechanics of the joint.

Diagnosing articular cartilage damage

No tests are currently able to diagnose articular cartilage damage. Aditionally, symptoms vary considerably from person to person. Or as [www.cartilagehealth.com/acr.html Karen Hambly] would state it : "You may or may not have pain and you could have no, or limited, swelling. Yes you may experience locking if a piece of articular cartilage has broken off and is a loose body in the joint or you may experience catching or giving way. You are likely to have some muscle wasting and difficulty in activities such as going up and down stairs, walking or running but then people with any moderate knee injury are likely to as well. This is why articular cartilage damage is the ‘cinderella’ of knee problems. It tends to be diagnosed only after other structures have been ruled out – well if it isn’t your meniscus or ligaments, what else could it be, perhaps we should look at the articular cartilage?"

MRI-scans are becoming more valuable in the analysis of articular cartilage but their use is still expensive and time consuming. X-rays only show bone injuries and are therefore not very helpful in diagnosing cartilage damage, especially not in early stages. The best tool for diagnosing articular damage is the use of arthroscopy.

Measuring Cartilage Damage

The International Cartilage Repair Society has set up a grading system by which cartilage defects can be ranked :

- grade 1: the cartilage has a soft spot or blisters - grade 2: minor tears visible in the cartilage - grade 3: lesions have deep crevices - grade 4: the cartilage tear exposes the underlying bone

Repairing articular cartilage damage

Though articular cartilage damage is not life threatening, it does strongly affect the quality of life. Articular cartilage damage is often the cause of severe pain, swellings, strong barries to mobility and severe restrictions to one's activities. Over the last decades, however, surgeons and biotech ventures have elaborated promising procedures that contribute to articular cartilage repair.