Is surgery always necessary for a torn cartilage in the knee?

July 11th — admin

If you have a torn cartilage in your knee, do you have to have surgery to fix it?

If the tear in the cartilage is not large and if you are not an athlete or are doing some sort of work that puts a lot of stress on your knee, your doctor may very well recommend conservative therapy, perhaps using a brace, and letting the cartilage heal on its own. When your knee can handle it, you may be given exercises to help build up the muscle in your leg to help protect your knee.

However, for larger tears or if you are very active, surgery may be the solution.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

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Debridement failed, what now?

October 12th — admin

Well, strike one for me. I tore the cartilage in my knee. The surgeon did a debridement technique that didn’t work. The hole just got worse. Now what?

There are at least half a dozen ways to go about repairing a defect in the cartilage-bone interface of the knee. Debridement is just one.

If you’ve had this tear for a long time and/or if it is a large tear, you may be a good candidate for a procedure called autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). The surgeon will remove some normal, healthy cartilage cells and grow them in a laboratory.

The cells reproduce until there are enough to reimplant into the knee. This stimulates cartilage healing and repair.

In a recent study comparing debridement to ACI, ACI came out ahead in long-term results. Patients reported more pain relief, greater reduction of swelling, and improved function.

Ask your surgeon about available options. See if ACI is a possibility.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

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Ski jump results in torn cartilage plus frozen joint, how is this possible?

June 8th — admin

My 21-year-old son hurt his arm during a ski jump last winter. At first the surgeon thought he had a labral tear. But now his arm is frozen with no movement past 90 degrees. Does this makes sense? How can you have a torn cartilage and a frozen joint?

The labrum is a dense fibrocartilage ring that is firmly attached around the acetabulum (shoulder socket). It provides both depth and stability to the normally shallow acetabulum.

A labral tear can result in a painful and unstable shoulder. A stiff, painful (frozen) shoulder is not uncommon after shoulder trauma. This may be the body’s protective response. It is usually self-limiting. This means it will eventually get better on its own.

If conservative care does not take care of the problem, then surgery may be needed. The surgeon may just manipulate the shoulder. This is a careful moving of the shoulder through its full motion while the patient is anesthetized. If that doesn’t help, then incision and release of the anterior shoulder capsule may be needed.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

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Soccer player tore knee cartilage, wants to skip some rehab!

October 27th — admin

I’m 23-years old. I tore my knee cartilage clear down to the bone in a soccer match. The surgeon tells me I’ll be on a machine to make my knee move for six weeks after an operation to repair the damage. I don’t have that kind of time for rehab. Is there any way around this restriction?

Right now the standard rehab after microfracture for full-thickness cartilage tears is to avoid weight-bearing and use continuous passive motion (CPM). CPM uses a device to slowly move the knee through its range of motion. It’s usually used for six to eight hours a day for up to eight weeks after microfracture.

Microfracture is one way to enhance healing. Tiny holes are made in the bone just beneath the cartilage. Fibrocartilage fills in where the cartilage is torn and pulled away from the bone.

Researchers are calling the standard rehab procedure into question. Studies show no difference in results with or without the use of CPM. Likewise, putting weight on the leg isn’t a problem either. Up until now the theory was that pressure through the joint would disrupt the healing process.

Ask your doctor to review the latest studies on this rehab method. With close supervision you may be able to bypass the six weeks’ restriction and return to sports sooner.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com.The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

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Why won’t torn cartilage in knee heal on its own?

October 22nd — admin

I have a torn cartilage in my right knee. The doctor tells me I need surgery because it won’t heal on its own. Why won’t it heal?

Some people consider this a “design flaw” in the human body. Cartilage anywhere in the body doesn’t have a big blood supply. We say it’s not highly vascularized. This means when it’s injured or damaged in anyway it heals very slowly or not at all.

The cartilage doesn’t have a way to heal itself. The result is often worse symptoms for the patient and joint degeneration. Surgery is done to repair the damage and bring blood to the area to speed up the healing cycle.

Cartilage has several layers. The deepest layer just before the bone is called the tide mark. Just below the tide mark layer are stem cells that can grow into fibrocartilage. This kind of cartilage isn’t exactly the same as the cartilage on the surface of the joint, but it’s better than nothing!

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com.The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

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