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Cartilage Injuries

Injury to the knee can cause damage to the articular lining cartilage in the knee joint, or sometimes to both the cartilage and the bone.

If the injury is restricted to the cartilage, it will not show up in a plain X-ray; it may be noted on an MRI. An arthroscopy (using a special instrument to look inside the joint) can thoroughly identify it.

Symptoms may include swelling and pain when bending the knee.

In some cases arthroscopy can be used to 'smooth' the cartilage. Although new cartilage cannot grow to take its place, scar tissue appears.

It is also possible to transplant some cartilage from an uninjured part of the knee. Another option is to remove some normal cartilage cells, reproduce them in a lab and then later reimplant them into the damaged area so that new cartilage will grow.

Detached Cartilage of Bone in the Knee Joint

If a piece of cartilage or bone has become detached in the knee and the injury is not treated immediately, the loose part can 'swim around' in the joint. This means that it may occasionally get stuck, causing pain and a feeling that the knee is locked. The knee may also click and swell up. Such a condition is called a loose body in the knee.

If the injury is fairly recent, it is possible to put the piece back in place. More commonly, the loose body may be removed by arthroscopy.

As cartilage does not show up on an X-ray, the loose body will only be visible if it consists of bone.

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