Cartilage damage

What is it?

Cartilage covers the bony surfaces of joints and is a tough, flexible tissue that acts as a shock absorber and allows bones to slide over one another.

It can become damaged by injury or gradual wear and tear, with the knees typically worst affected, although the hips, ankles and elbows can also suffer.

What are the symptoms?

Joint pain, swelling, stiffness, a clicking or grinding sensation and the joint locking, catching, or giving way under stress.

Visit your GP or a minor injuries unit if:

you can’t move the joint properly

you can’t control the pain with painkillers

you can’t put any weight on the injured limb or it gives way

the injured area looks crooked or has unusual lumps

you have numbness, discolouration, or coldness in any part of the injured area

your symptoms haven’t improved within a few days of selftreatment. Your GP will refer you for tests such as an X-ray, MRI scan, or arthroscopy to find out if your cartilage is damaged.

What’s the treatment?

For the first few days:

protect the affected joint with a support, such as a knee brace rest the affected joint elevate the affected limb and apply an ice pack to the joint regularly to cool it down

take painkillers, such as paracetamol or non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

Get medical advice if your symptoms are severe or don’t improve after a few days.

You may need treatment, such as physiotherapy, or possibly surgery to encourage the growth of new cartilage by drilling small holes in the nearby bone, replacing the damaged cartilage with healthy cartilage, or replacing the entire joint with an artificial one.