Typically, you can still walk with knee cartilage damage, but it often becomes painful. Pain will likely increase going up or down stairs.
In a study published in the Arthritis and Rheumatology Journal, experts concluded that walking could help people with knee osteoarthritis. It confirmed what many experts believe: Walking for exercise can help reduce pain and disability related to arthritis.
stiffness or swelling around your knee – the swelling may not start for a few hours or days. difficulty bending, straightening or moving your knee. your knee giving way when you try to stand. a crunching or clicking feeling when you move your knee.
Damage to the articular knee cartilage can cause pain, inflammation, a clicking noise and catching sensation, and reduced range of motion of the joint. Cartilage injuries that are wider than a centimeter have the potential to get bigger over time, which may lead to osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition of the joint.
Surgery is often the best treatment option for damaged articular cartilage since it does not heal well on its own. Some surgeries aim to relieve symptoms, while other surgical procedures are intended to repair and restore damaged articular cartilage.
Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Your doctor may recommend the RICE regimen—rest, ice, compression, and elevation—to treat a knee cartilage injury. Resting your knee can help reduce the symptoms associated with the injury.
Knee cartilage can take anywhere from six weeks to three months (for simple meniscus injuries) or 9-18 months for articular cartilage injuries to heal.
It is also commonly known as a meniscal tear or a torn cartilage. Physiotherapy is an excellent treatment for a knee cartilage injury.
Symptoms of cartilage damage
joint pain – this may continue even when resting and worsen when you put weight on the joint. swelling – this may not develop for a few hours or days. stiffness. a clicking or grinding sensation.
Can cartilage be repaired without surgery? Simply, no. In most cases, surgery is required to repair articular cartilage. In rare cases, small traumatic cartilage lesions form a repair tissue called fibrocartilage on their own.
Radiographs cannot directly visualize the soft tissue of cartilage but instead are used to identify changes in subchondral bone. It might not be possible to detect secondary bone changes radiographically within a year of injury. MRI and CT can diagnose changes within the cartilage matrix.
Signs you need knee surgery
swelling and inflammation of the knee which no longer responds to medication. stiffness in the knee and immobility. 'bowing' of the leg. non-surgical, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs no longer provide relief from pain.
No matter the cause, cartilage damage is challenging, because cartilage doesn't have its own blood supply. Therefore, it can't heal itself. Once cartilage is damaged, without treatment the damage stays the same or gets larger over time.
Moderate walking is recommended for people with knee pain because it's a low-impact activity. If your joints are painful and stiff, start slowly and work up to 20 minutes of walking per day, recommends Stuchin.
Exercise can help rebuild the joint, Robertson says. "Cartilage is like a sponge, and it gets nutrients from the compression and decompression of your body weight as you walk."
Cartilage can become damaged due to a trauma such as a pivoting sport or when turning the knee or bending it deeply. Cartilage can also come loose due to damage in the underlying bone, OCD, or osteonecrosis.
While cartilage damage cannot heal on its own, there are various treatment options available. Depending on the degree of your cartilage damage, it is possible to treat your injuries using non-surgical as well as surgical treatments.
Straight Leg Raises
Sit on a straight back chair with your feet planted firmly in front. Lift one leg until straight and hold it for three seconds then return it to the floor. Alternate legs as you do one or two sets. As you grow stronger, you can add more repetitions and sets to continue to strengthen the joint.
Just as in any mechanical structure, repeated force or a sudden impact will cause the parts of your knee joint to get worn, torn or damaged. The result is a pain in your knees. It may be a dull ache, or sharp, debilitating pain. It may be accompanied by swelling and a feeling of instability.
What is the recovery after cartilage repair? Very generally speaking, patients will spend 1-3 days in the hospital, then use crutches for 8 weeks. They can return to stationary biking at 4-6 weeks, swimming and elliptical trainer at 8-12 weeks, and light jogging at 1 year.
The lesser impact at the knee joint means a lower chance of knee injury, so this is why most research suggests that cycling and swimming are the best exercises for patients with knee problems. Therefore, cycling is a very great exercise for patients with knee osteoarthritis condition.
Pain on the front of the knee can be due to bursitis, arthritis, or softening of the patella cartilage as in chondromalacia patella. Pain on the sides of the knee is commonly related to injuries to the collateral ligaments, arthritis, or tears to the meniscuses.
Treatments for cartilage damage
rest the affected joint. elevate the affected limb and apply an ice pack to the joint regularly. take ordinary painkillers, such as paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.