ARTICULAR CARTILAGE REPAIR

Mention knee cartilage to most people and they will tend to think about the wedge shaped shockabsorbers of the knee - the menisci. However, there is another form of cartilage in the knee that causes knee problems – the articular cartilage - the white gristle covering the adjacent surfaces of 'articulations' or 'joints'. Articular cartilage has been known to be a potential problem for quite a while and thousands of people each year experience symptoms related to chondral (joint cartilage) and osteochondral (joint cartilage and bone) defects. We are in the 21st century now so why does articular cartilage damage continue to be such a ‘troublesome thing’? Well to give you a better insight into why that is the case it is useful for you to know a bit more about the structure of articular cartilage, the role that it performs and how it gets damaged. >> more on articular cartilage repair

DO GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN SULPHATE WORK?

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are widely taken, alone or in combination, for knee pain attributed to osteoarthritis. They are expensive and joint health is MEGA business. Since 2000 forty-eight percent of new joint health supplements in the US contained glucosamine and twenty-four percent chondroitin (Mintel Global New Products Database). This makes glucosamine the biggest selling US dietary supplement. No one can question that glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate supplements are big business - but do they work? >> more on glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate

RETURN TO ACTIVITY AFTER ACI SURVEY

In December 2005 the KNEEguru community was invited to participate in an online survey on ‘Return to activity after autologous chondrocyte implantation’. This survey was designed to provide an opportunity for KNEEguru bulletin board members to share their experiences of returning to sports and exercise activities after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). >> more on return to activity after ACI survey