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.
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.
Knee cartilage injury recovery time
If surgery is not needed, recovery can happen in six to eight weeks. Knee cartilage surgery recovery time on average takes three to four months after a meniscus repair and up to nine months after an articular cartilage repair. In severe cases it could take up to 18 months.
Straight Leg Raises
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.
Although articular cartilage is not capable of regrowing or healing itself, the bone tissue underneath it can. By making small cuts and abrasions to the bone underneath the area of damaged cartilage, doctors stimulate new growth.
For one thing, movement is important for the metabolic processes in the joint cartilage. Also, exercise can strengthen muscles, improve joint stability, and increase range of motion. This not only protects the knee but also helps in everyday life – for example, when climbing stairs or getting up from a chair.
Before beginning or resuming any fitness routine, it is essential that you obtain clearance from your physician to ensure the health and safety of your joints. Walking is a fantastic option for many patients with knee arthritis because it is a low-impact activity that does not put undue stress on the joints.
If a fragment of cartilage is damaged or breaks away, it can cause: Pain, swelling and stiffness in the knee. A sensation of grinding or clicking in the joint when it moves. Difficulty carrying out everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, bending, squatting and kneeling.
Surgical treatment for knee cartilage repair. Surgery is usually offered for severe disease that do not seem to respond to conservative treatments. There are several surgical options available depending on your age, activity level, extent of cartilage damage and how long ago the injury happened.
Because cartilage does not heal itself well, doctors have developed surgical techniques to stimulate the growth of new cartilage.
Oranges are an obvious choice in terms of getting vitamin C to promote the building of collagen as well as to promote cellular healing, which by extension is helpful in cartilage regeneration and protection. Vitamin C is also found in abundant quantities in other foods like kiwis, red peppers, kale, and strawberries.
Dietary supplements: Dietary supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin are the non-surgical treatment options for cartilage restoration. Chrondroitin sulphate and glucosamine are naturally occurring substances in the body that prevent degradation of cartilage and promote formation of new cartilage.
It is suggested that collagen derivatives or peptides are absorbed by the body and help to stimulate native collagen synthesis and repair within cartilage. “Small, short-term studies have shown efficacy. However, long-term large randomized control trials are lacking to support usage.
Exercise can provide significant relief because it increases water in your synovial fluid and sends lubrication to the joints. The synovial fluid is also spread evenly during exercise because joint movement pushes the fluid around to reach places in the joints that it may not normally reach.
Cartilage Tear
So if the cartilage gets damaged, more of that pressure goes through the knee bones when squatting, which can cause irritation, swelling and pain.
Knee Cartilage Repair without Surgery
Nonsurgical treatment typically includes: anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy to learn knee exercises, and. temporarily stopping activities that worsen knee pain.
Articular cartilage injuries of the knee may be caused by repetitive actions, a traumatic event such as a fall, or engaging in intense physical activity such as running. Articular cartilage can also be damaged through acute injury from participation in contact sports such as football, basketball, and hockey.
If your knee hurts, you might want to stay off of it. But resting too much makes your muscles weaken and often makes knee pain worse. Find a way to get moving without hurting your knee. Some good exercises for people with knee pain include walking, swimming, and water aerobics.
I know if you're one of the many people suffering with knee pain, you might be worried to use your knees and might want to take some time off to let your knees heal… But walking is a safe, low-impact activity, that can actually help get you on the road to recovery.
Cartilage, like bone, is surrounded by a perichondrium-like fibrous membrane. This layer is not efficient at regenerating cartilage. Hence, its recovery is slow after injury. The lack of active blood flow is the major reason any injury to cartilage takes a long time to heal.
Animal studies have found that giving glucosamine can delay the breakdown of cartilage as well as rebuild it.
Turmeric protects bone health and prevents cartilage from degrading. It increases efficacy of other anti-arthritic agents.