Recent trends for knee articular cartilage repair

Knee articular cartilage trauma is among the most common types of injuries in athletes and older people. This is caused by the impact and torsional joint loading that occurs during sports and eventually damages the articular surfaces, causing prolonged pain if untreated. As for older people, the “wear and tear” of the cartilage causes it to deteriorate and lead to osteoarthritis. This disruption stimulated the chondrocyte synthetic activity that sustains the healthy cartilage. Symptoms of the cartilage injury include recurrent pain, swelling, and stiffness in the knee joint and audible click noises when moving the knee if untreated. In clinical surgery, various surgical procedures, such as soft tissue grafts, cell transplants, autographs, and allografts, are used to regenerate the osteochondral and to promote the formation of a new joint surface. Therefore, it is crucial in determining the selection of treatment for articular cartilage injury by understanding the type of injury, healing potential, and the effects of treatment of the joint surface that will benefit the patient to produce a better long-term joint function. This review highlights the recent trends for knee articular cartilage repair.