17/07/2026
Cartilage is one of the body's most important structural materials — and one of its most stubbornly unhelpful when it comes to healing.
The smooth, glassy cartilage that lines the surfaces of the knee joint has no direct blood supply of its own. This is what makes it such effective, near-frictionless cushioning for joint movement — but it is also why, once damaged, cartilage has very limited capacity to repair itself. A scratch on the skin heals in days. A significant cartilage lesion in the knee may never fully heal without intervention.
Cartilage damage in the knee can arise from a single traumatic event — a fall, a collision, a sports injury — or from the cumulative effects of wear, misalignment, or conditions like osteochondritis dissecans, where a piece of bone and cartilage separates from the joint surface. Symptoms typically include pain that is worsened by activity, swelling, a feeling of grinding or catching in the joint, and sometimes mechanical locking.
The good news is that treatment options have advanced significantly. For smaller, well-defined cartilage defects, microfracture — a technique that creates small holes in the underlying bone to encourage bleeding and the formation of repair tissue — can be effective, particularly in younger patients. For larger or more complex defects, procedures such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) or osteochondral grafting, which transplant healthy cartilage tissue to the damaged area, offer more durable results. These are performed arthroscopically or with a small incision, and require a carefully managed rehabilitation period.
The right treatment depends on the size, location, and depth of the defect, as well as the patient's age, activity level, and overall joint health. Getting an accurate MRI assessment is the essential first step.
📍 The Orthopaedic Centre (Novena) | Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, #09-42
📞 +65 6690 2974
🌐 https://www.drchinpaklin.asianhealthcare.com.sg/drchinpaklin
