Treatment
See also: Knee cartilage replacement therapyTreatment options include modified activity with or without weight bearing; immobilization; cryotherapy; anti-inflammatory medication; drilling of subchondral bone; microfracture; removal or reattachment of loose bodies; mosaicplasty and osteoarticular transfer system (OATS) procedures. The primary goals of treatment are:
- Enhance the healing potential of subchondral bone;
- Fix unstable fragments while maintaining joint congruity; and
- Replace damaged bone and cartilage with implanted tissues or cells that can grow cartilage.
The articular cartilage's capacity for repair is limited: partial-thickness defects in the articular cartilage do not heal spontaneously, and injuries of the articular cartilage which fail to penetrate subchondral bone tend to lead to deterioration of the articular surface. As a result, surgery is often required in even moderate cases where the osteochondral fragment has not detached from the bone (Anderson Stage II, III).
Read more about this topic: Osteochondritis Dissecans
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—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
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—C. John Sommerville (20th century)