As we age, the articular cartilage covering the ends of the bones in our knee joints become vulnerable to wear and tear. This poorly-nourished tissue can develop a wear pattern, leading to early arthrosis of the knee joint and resulting in swelling (water on the knee), stiffness, and weakness. Fortunately, there are surgical techniques available to repair injured articular cartilage.
The articular cartilage is the surface covering of the ends of the bones joining at the knee (femur and tibia). This tissue is vulnerable to wear and tear in a similar fashion to the meniscus and is commonly affected by general aging in the population over 40 years of age. Articular cartilage is also an avascular or poorly nourished tissue.
When injured some can be repaired by various surgical techniques for the knee including but not limited to substitute tissue grafts, procedures known as microfracturing, and in the future, regenerative growth techniques. Generally though, articular cartilage develops a wear pattern of the portion of the “tread” of the surface and remains a contributing factor leading to early arthrosis of the knee joint and is responsible for swelling of the knee (water on the knee) leading to stiffness and weakness and orthopedic evaluation.
