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Cartilage Defect: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

A cartilage defect is a localized area of damage to the articular cartilage in a joint. It causes pain, swelling, and restricted movement.

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Things worth knowing about "Cartilage defect"

A cartilage defect is a localized area of damage to the articular cartilage in a joint. It causes pain, swelling, and restricted movement.

What Is a Cartilage Defect?

A cartilage defect is a localized area of damage or tissue loss affecting the articular cartilage that covers the surfaces of bones within a joint. This smooth, white tissue allows joints to move with minimal friction and distributes mechanical forces evenly across the joint surface. Unlike most tissues in the body, cartilage has a very limited capacity for self-repair because it lacks blood vessels and nerves.

Cartilage defects can occur in any joint but are most commonly found in the knee, hip, shoulder, and ankle. The severity of a defect is graded using the ICRS classification (International Cartilage Repair Society), ranging from Grade 1 (superficial fissures) to Grade 4 (complete loss of cartilage down to the underlying bone).

Causes

Cartilage defects may result from several different causes:

Traumatic injury: Sports accidents, falls, or direct impact to a joint can cause acute cartilage damage.
Degenerative wear: Prolonged overuse, leg axis malalignment, or excess body weight lead to gradual cartilage breakdown, which can progress to osteoarthritis.
Osteonecrosis: Insufficient blood supply to the underlying bone leads to cartilage cell death.
Osteochondritis dissecans: A condition in which a bone-cartilage fragment loosens and may become a free body within the joint.
Inflammatory joint diseases: Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis can destroy cartilage tissue over time.

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the size and location of the defect. Common signs include:

Joint pain that worsens with activity and may ease at rest
Swelling and warmth around the joint
Stiffness and reduced range of motion
Clicking, grinding, or crackling sensations (crepitus)
Locking or catching of the joint if loose fragments are present

Small defects may remain asymptomatic for an extended period and only become noticeable as the damage progresses.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing a cartilage defect typically involves the following steps:

Medical history and physical examination: The physician assesses the onset of symptoms, any history of injury, and checks joint mobility and stability.
X-ray: Useful for detecting bony changes and narrowing of the joint space, though cartilage itself is not directly visible on plain X-rays.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): The gold standard for evaluating cartilage defects, providing detailed images of the extent and depth of the damage.
Arthroscopy: A minimally invasive procedure that allows direct visualization of the joint surface and can be used for both diagnosis and treatment.

Treatment

Conservative Treatment

Small, mildly symptomatic defects are initially managed conservatively:

Physiotherapy to strengthen surrounding muscles and reduce joint loading
Pain management using anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., NSAIDs)
Weight loss to reduce pressure on the affected joint
Injection therapy with hyaluronic acid or corticosteroids to relieve symptoms

Surgical Treatment

Larger or persistent defects may require surgical intervention. Available techniques include:

Microfracture: Small perforations are made in the underlying bone to release bone marrow stem cells, which form fibrocartilaginous repair tissue.
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI): The patient's own cartilage cells are harvested, expanded in the laboratory, and then implanted into the defect.
Osteochondral transplantation (OATS / mosaicplasty): Bone-cartilage cylinders are taken from low-load-bearing areas of the joint and transplanted into the defect.
Matrix-assisted procedures (MACI): A combination of cell therapy and biological scaffolds to improve cartilage integration and regeneration.

Prognosis and Prevention

The prognosis depends largely on the size, location, and grade of the defect, as well as the age of the patient. Early treatment significantly improves outcomes. Preventive measures include regular low-impact exercise, targeted muscle strengthening, maintaining a healthy body weight, and avoiding excessive joint stress.

References

Brittberg M. et al. – Treatment of Deep Cartilage Defects in the Knee with Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation. New England Journal of Medicine, 1994.
International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) – Cartilage Injury Evaluation Package, ICRS 2000. Available at: www.cartilage.org
Mithoefer K. et al. – Clinical Efficacy of the Microfracture Technique for Articular Cartilage Repair in the Knee. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2009.

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