Knee cartilage damage

Treatment for knee cartilage damage

Non-surgical options

To manage pain and swelling in the days immediately after an injury:

• Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatories (eg ibuprofen).
• Ice your knee two to three times a day, for 20 minutes at a time.
• Elevate your leg as much as possible.
• Support your knee as it recovers by wearing a knee brace.

One of our physiotherapists can also give you exercises to help regain motion and build up muscle strength and flexibility around the knee.

Occasionally, you may be offered supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and omega 3, which may help in preserving the rest of the cartilage. 

Surgical options

If your cartilage damage is severe or not responding to physiotherapy, your orthopaedic surgeon might recommend surgery.

• Keyhole surgery – Your surgeon repairs damaged cartilage by inserting surgical instruments through small cuts in your knee. The operation is carried out using a tiny video camera inserted into your knee and a monitor. Cartilage repair can involve shaving or cutting off ragged edges of torn tissue. If the cartilage doesn't need replacing, your surgeon may drill small holes in the surface of the bone to encourage the cartilage to re-grow in place. In some cases, cartilage from another part of your body can be grafted onto the bones.
• Open surgery – In some cases, your surgeon will operate by making a larger incision to open up the entire knee joint and repair the cartilage using autograft, allograft, scaffolds, and/or chondroplasty.