Articular Cartilage Injury Treatments

Orthopedic surgeons at the JPC have a full range of options at their disposal to help patients maintain – or regain – the active lifestyles we all value.

The Joint Preservation Center offers several procedures that restore or repair damaged articular cartilage and preserves function, starting with methods for repairing early localized damage – called focal chondral defects. These methods include:

allograftosteochondral autograft

This technique, analogous to a hair-plug transfer, allows surgeons to remove a small section of the patient’s own bone and cartilage from an area of the knee that does not bear weight, and transfer the plug to a damaged portion of the knee.

debridementallograft reconstruction

For larger areas of bone and cartilage loss, surgeons can implant a piece of freshly donated cartilage and bone that eventually functions as if it were the patient’s own.