Q+A: Can my knee cartilage be regrown?
Our experts answer real-life questions
Posted: 9 September 2000
by Simon Moyes
Q Severe osteoarthritis in both knees has forced me to stop running. Some time ago I read about a pioneering operation that was performed on a professional footballer, in which sections of the knee cartilage were removed, regrown in a laboratory, and then replaced in the knee. Is this an option for a former runner like me?
A You are quite correct in assuming that this treatment is going on – it is being pioneered in Scandinavia and in a few centres around the UK and the States. At the moment the technique is experimental and appears to only definitely work in rabbits. The problem is that at the moment the cartilage grafts tend to fail in areas of the knee where there is significant load. This means that the surgeons who are performing the procedure have to select carefully their patients and know which ones are going to do well with the procedure. There is actually only a very small percentage of patients with arthritic-type problems who would benefit from the procedure, and even those patients undertaking it have to understand that it is still experimental.
If you have severe osteoarthritis in both your knees, then – sadly – this is not the procedure for you.
—Simon Moyes, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, www.simonmoyes.com
Discuss this article
I have just had a tear in my meniscus removed. I havent ran for over 3 years prior to the athroscopy because of the pain. I waited 8 weeks and ran 2.5 miles fairly slowly, felt good whilst running. The next day me knee is killing me and now I am feeling the same pain in my knee that was there prior to the op. I was in the army for 24 years and had the same op on my right knee, no pain although i did leave it a long time before i did anything. Prior to running my knee felt fantastic, could put my weight on it and could stand, now the discomort has come back and Im completly fed up - i think i'm back to sqaure one. Has anyone else felt or expeirenced a similiar problem
Posted: 01/10/2009 at 14:13
I'm not a runner but do like to do fast walking. Had an arthroscopy done to both knees for meniscal tears on both sides of both knees. When I got home found for one week, my knees were a little weak, but found I could do everyday things, even without pain killers and anti-inflammatory's. I decided to take the dog for a walk and found when it came to walking more than a mile my knees felt very weak and achy  . So decided to walk to the nearest field to my house so my dog could have a run. I had to climb a little hill for about 2 mins and found when I got home that I could have cried. Since then my legs have steadily got worse I saw my specialist again for the post op 2 week check-up and he didn't seem to think nothing of it?. And ask me to come back in a mth. which will be the end of March. My legs feel worse now to how they ever did as I never suffered with pain and weakness like this b4 the op... I can't even kneel on them without jumping up quick again cuz the pain is so bad and to bend my knees to crouch well that's a definite no no and find it impossible to get up by just my legs cuz they are way too weak. so find myself lowering myself to the floor to flip myself round to my front and using all fours to get myself up again.. I only had it done because my legs kept locking, through having mobile knee caps all of my life. I feel very vulnerable now and feel I'll never be the same again and that exercise will defo be out of the question.. Wish I'd never had it done
Posted: 18/03/2011 at 01:09
Donna, you did too much too soon so you shouldn't be surprised that you're in trouble. You should have taken is really easy for a couple of weeks. The best I can suggest is you take a complete step back and start your recovery from the beginning again. Spend two weeks doing very little. Use anti-inflammatories. Take stairs slowly. Don't kneel down. Don't cycle and definately don't run. After that start doing things again but take it easy. No vigorous walking for another couple of weeks. No running until your knees are 100%, even if that takes more than 6 weeks. If you have any discomfort stop what you're doing. Don't push through the pain or you'll do more damage and set your recovery back again.
Posted: 18/03/2011 at 10:25
Donna - I had a hip arthroscopy in September which is apparently a bit more complicated than a knee arthroscopy as its a deeper cavity and they also took quite alot of bone off my hip. M.ister W is totally right you have to take it slowly - or as someone said to me you cant microwave it you have to slow cook it re surgery/injuries of this nature. Do everything your surgeon says to the letter contact him if you are worried thats what he is paid for - do you have a physio? You need to look at what things you can do to make it feel better other than just the antiinflamatories to help build the strength up again there must be some gentle physio movements. Yes at the moment you feel cr*p - its six months on and I am only just starting to run again and gently on soft ground. I still get pain when I over do things What you have to think is if you want to be in my case a runner, in yours a fast walker you want to do this for the rest of your life so a few months out now resting and recouperating is worth it
Posted: 18/03/2011 at 11:21
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