There are not a lot of options to fix articular cartilage injuries to the knee. Articular cartilage surrounds the end of bones and protects them during load bearing activities. My cartilage injury is on the end of my femur where it fits into the inner knee. Articular cartilage tends to wear away in older people resulting in arthritis. However it is possible to injure the articular cartilage in a young person due to an acute injury or wear and tear on a certain location.
ACI does not fix widespread arthritis but is a good option for people with an small area of cartilage damage surrounded by healthy cartilage. This is what I have and it's most likely due to wear and tear in a small area. So when I learned I didn't necessarily have arthritis but an actual injury that could be fixed I was relieved. However, the options for fixing this type of injury are invasive with 12-18 month recovery periods.
My decision to have ACI was easy for me. My injury prevented me from running and doing most of the athletic activities I like to do such as snowboarding and hiking. Day to day my pain was minor. Just walking around I could feel a twinge in my knee but it was just more of an irritant than anything. However, when I would try to run I could only get a few steps with shooting pain. Many people who undergo this surgery are debilitated in daily life due to pain. I do not fall in this group but I felt a successful ACI recovery would let me get back to the life that I wanted. Additionally since cartilage doesn't repair itself, a knee replacement would be the only other option for me down the road. A knee replacement wouldn't allow me to be as active as I want so I will only consider that as a last resort.
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