Cartilage Restoration

Damaged cartilage is hard to heal on its own without more invasive procedures. At GoOrthopedic, with two offices in San Jose and Manteca, California, board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kalle Stidham offers advanced and innovative cartilage repair procedures to ease your pain and promote better joint function. To see if you can benefit from these cartilage restoration techniques, call the nearest office or book an appointment online today.

What is cartilage repair?

You might need cartilage repair if you have chronic joint pain and damage to the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is a firm, but flexible tissue that helps to cushion and stabilize the joints.

When the cartilage that coats and protects the ends of your bones becomes damaged, it can cause discomfort and swelling in the joint, leading to pain. 

Many cartilage repair procedures use surgical techniques. However, GoOrthopedic also offers minimally invasive treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and specialized cells harnessed from your body. Each procedure focuses on treating cartilage defects and encouraging new tissue growth.

What conditions are treatable with cartilage repair?

GoOrthopedic uses cartilage repair to treat a wide variety of conditions, including:

• Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)
• Chondral defects and lesions
• Osteochondral defects
• Avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis)
• Chronic joint pain 

Damaged cartilage may be hard to treat with conservative methods. At GoOrthopedic, your provider may use both minimally invasive and surgical techniques to provide you with long-lasting pain relief and better healing. 

What are the different types of cartilage repair?

GoOrthopedic offers several options for cartilage repair, including surgical care and restorative cell therapy. Depending on your needs, they can determine the best approach. 

Some different types of cartilage repair include:

Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI)

MACI is an advanced technique for cartilage repair. Your surgeon at GoOrthopedic takes healthy cartilage from another part of your body and sends it to a laboratory. The lab will then grow the cells and create a custom collagen patch. 

During a procedure, your surgeon then implants the patch in your injured area to stimulate new cartilage growth. 

Osteochondral autograft transplantation surgery (OATS)

For the OATS, your surgeon takes cartilage and bone from an area your body doesn’t need and then transplants them to the injured areas of cartilage and bone.

Restorative cell therapy

With restorative cell therapy, biological substances are injected into the tissue damage to promote your body’s natural healing powers. Sources include highly concentrated platelets from your own blood or specialized cells drawn from your body. 

GoOrthopedic is committed to your healing and recovery from injuries and debilitating conditions. To see which method of cartilage repair may benefit you, call the office nearest you or book an appointment online today.