Could Your Knees Benefit from Cartilage Restoration in Bergen County?

Learn About Cartilage Damage and What Procedures Are Available

When it comes to the cartilage in your knees, there is good news and bad news. The bad news: damaged cartilage cannot grow back by itself. While you can take preventative measures to protect your knees, wear and tear may cause what seems like irreversible problems.

The good news: you can receive cartilage restoration in Bergen County. Cartilage restoration is a procedure that activates the stimulation of new cartilage. This new cartilage can help patients with previously unmanageable knee conditions get around more easily. At Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, our Sports Medicine specialists in Montvale aim to help you understand the crucial details of this treatment and determine whether or not it is the best option for you.

Understanding Cartilage Damage

As the protective tissue that supports joint functions, cartilage loss can be detrimental to a patient’s health. Patients may damage or lose cartilage from a number of injuries and conditions, including:

• Arthritis: The most common cartilage adversary. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and posttraumatic arthritis are the forms that most often impact the knee joint.

• Meniscal tear: When healthy, the meniscus nourishes joint cartilage. A meniscal tear may occur at the same time as a cartilage injury.

• Ligament tear: Similar to a meniscal tear, a torn ligament in the knee may impact surrounding cartilage.

Treatments for the above conditions vary from non-operative, at-home care to joint replacement surgery. In other words, the amount of cartilage damage that accompanies these conditions will be different for each and every case. For example, a patient with osteoarthritis may manage the pain associated with cartilage damage by taking prescribed medications and attending physical therapy sessions. Contrarily, another patient can have the same disease but with greater severity. In this scenario, the patient may be more likely to opt for cartilage restoration.

Cartilage Restoration in Bergen County: What to Expect

There is no one-size-fits-all cartilage restoration procedure. However, there are two main types of this treatment that our knee doctors implement:

• Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI): During this procedure, the surgeon will gather healthy cartilage cells from one area of the knee using an arthroscopic technique. Next, she or he will implant this cartilage into the damaged area of the knee joint. These cells are either attached through a water-tight membrane or on a special patch.

• Osteochondral Transplant: This treatment is suggested for large areas of damage or if a piece of bone has been injured in addition to the cartilage. Transplants may come in the form of the meniscus from cadavers, the patient’s own cartilage grown in a laboratory, or an allograft.

Recovery from Cartilage Restoration Treatment

Following one of the above procedures, patients require crutches to move around and may need passive motion therapy to move the joint in a controlled motion. Once the new cartilage has healed, a Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Montvale Sports Medicine specialist may prescribe physical therapy. Strengthening exercises will help patients return to regular activities.

Any type of procedure, no matter how small or safe, may invoke hesitation and worry in patients. To counter potential fears, below is information about our practice that will ease your mind:

• The Sports Medicine surgeons at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute are some of the best in the nation. They are highly experienced, focused, and dedicated to providing superb care to each and every patient with a knee condition.

• We utilize only the latest and most advanced technology to diagnose and treat injuries. Similarly, we take innovation to a new level by researching diseases and setting the example worldwide.

• Our orthopaedic team’s combined expertise is unmatchable, and our reputation for providing exceptional care is outstanding.

To learn more about cartilage restoration in Bergen County, please visit us here or contact us at 1-800-321-9999.