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Knee preservation

    It includes different methods of treatment for knees with mild cartilage damage, meniscal or ligament tears. The key is early diagnosis of the problem and prompt treatment so that it does not worsen and require major surgery in the future!

  • Lifestyle changes
  • Exercises
  • Arthroscopy
  • ACI
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How can changing my lifestyle help preserve my knee joint?

 Lifestyle plays an important role in joint health. This is especially true in someone who has been diagnosed with early arthritis, ligament or meniscal injury.

  • Keeping your knee muscles strong will help in improving the weight distribution on your knee joint.
  • Maintaining your ideal body weight also reduces the load on your knee and reduces the risk of further deterioration and damage.
  • A well-balanced diet, adequate in calcium and vitamin D will help keep your bones and cartilage healthy.
  • Regular exercises (like cycling, walking) help keep your bones and cartilage healthy.
  • Avoidance of certain activities based on your specific problem may be advisable to prevent further damage.
  • Certain protein supplements (glucosamine and chondroitin) may help in protecting the cartilage.

What is the role of exercise in joint preservation?

       Early knee arthritis, ligament or meniscal injury can lead to functional limitations due to muscular weakness or instability that prevents one from performing daily activities and even participating in physical activities. Specific exercises can help in reducing pain, improving function by strengthening muscles and improving gait.

What is arthroscopy ?

   Arthroscopic surgery or “key-hole” surgery allows the surgeon to look inside the joint and perform procedures using special tiny instruments. This usually requires a stay of 24 hours or less in hospital. Meniscal and ligament tears are treated using arthroscopy as also certain cartilage regeneration procedures. Arthroscopy and washout of the joint is not helpful in knees with complete loss of cartilage.

(Biological Treatment) – What is ACI (Autotogous Chondrocyte Implantation)?

     This is a minimally invasive procedure which involves transplanting your own cartilage cells to an area of limited cartilage damage. This is done as an open or arthroscopic surgical procedure only when a small area of cartilage is involved. It requires overnight stay in the hospital. The transplanted cartilage cells may help to re-grow and form new normal cartilage at the site of damage, and is useful for loss of small areas of cartilage.