can anyone loan me some cartilage?

hah me too...2 menisectomies and a repair on my right lateral.

You could look into a cadaver transplant...

What did you do to need that? Was it just running too many miles or was it an injury? I just want to know in order to keep my knees healthy.

Again to Cartilage.

How'd you get this diagnosed, I need a positive diagnositic for my knees (just for piece of mind)

There's this:

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/hipknee/a/microfracture.htm

and i remember reading about a company that 'grows' cartilage with stem cells. google only turned up this today..

http://www.stemcellnews.com/articles/stem-cells-patients-get-new-knees.htm

Arthur_ wrote:

How'd you get this diagnosed, I need a positive diagnositic for my knees (just for piece of mind)

There's this:

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/hipknee/a/microfracture.htm

and i remember reading about a company that 'grows' cartilage with stem cells. google only turned up this today..

http://www.stemcellnews.com/articles/stem-cells-patients-get-new-knees.htm

these proceedures are for small localized cartilage lesions. they are not treatments for osteoarthritis

JParker Jr. wrote: Again to Cartilage.

Aw man, I clicked this thread expressly to say that. Beat me to the punch! Scooped!

Genzyme wrote:

http://www.genzymebiosurgery.com/prod/cartilage/gzbx_p_pt_cartilage.asp

That's what I was looking for. It sounds almost too good to be true, I wonder how much it costs!

I was told they were going to remove my plica and I’d be running again in two weeks. They ended up doing a Microfracture, but the defect was too large so it didn’t take.

I had the Autologous Cartilage Cell Implantation done in June (http://www.wnycrc.buffalo.edu/autulogous.html)

It was covered by insurance, so I only paid co-pay. Just be aware that it’s a long recovery process. The second surgery itself was about four hours and I had to stay over night.

The first 6-7 weeks I didn’t even have the strength to lift my leg. So, driving and just about anything else besides laying around was out of the question. For me they had to move my patella to get to the defect. The incision is about five inches; about two of those are up into my quad. Gaining range of motion was hampered by the amount of scare tissue. Many people who have this done need another surgery just to brake up the scare tissue. I made a break through the week they were planning that surgery and didn’t need it. The atrophy was/is amazing, my quad shrunk to almost nothing.

I’m about 8 months out and just starting running again. It’s a little sooner than expected, but the surgeon gave me the okay as long as I take it easy. I’ve been jogging two miles a day for the past two weeks. The knee feels okay. It’s all the stuff around it that’s been making it tough. Getting everything to work properly again. I’m also a little worried that the imbalance between my quads could lead to other injurers. Unlike in the past, I’m taking it easy and being smart. Oh, they also did a patella release; so half my knee is always numb because they cut the nerve.

Over all, I’m happy with they way things have gone. But it’s been a very tough and long recovery - luckily my family has been supportive. If you have it done be prepared.

Not sure if this was any help, but it was nice to vent!

Interesting.. sorry for hijacking the thread..

Could you describe a little more about yourself, are you a fitness runner, competitive, ex-competitive, overweight?, age, etc.. It's important, in order to put your situation into perspective.

done it. wrote:

Not sure if this was any help, but it was nice to vent!

Are you kidding, darn right it is!! Not only for this thread, but for that will ever search the forums for that kind of advice.

in need of cartilage wrote:

i'll trade some IQ points and some inches off my dick for some knee cartilage

For real?!?! Sa - WEEET!!!! How can I contact you?

me too. I've had 3-4 knee operations for cartilage tears too. I didn't have any problems until I got into my late 40s.

I was an okay Div III runner and local road racer (2:30-1000, 3:57-1500, 15:18-5k, 25:01-8k, most of these post college). I’m not over weight, currently 5’11 150lbs (lighter when racing) and 29yrs old.

I know my doctor is very particular on who he’ll perform the procedure on - due to the recovery length. It’s not for older out-of-shape people.

Not sure how much running I’ll be able to handle now. Would like to at least be a competitive age group runner. Who knows if I'll ever be more than a fitness/fun runner? I can't wait for the day I go for an hour and feel good. I’ll admit that I’m a little timid about running because of what i've gone through, but love it too much to quit. Let me know if I can be of more help.

you can put them inches back and also keep your iq.

There's this new thing where they take some cartillage cells.

Make them multiply and put them back in your knee.

Also look for the cause.Have any of your knee sufferers thought of chondromalaciae.I get it due to biomechanics. A simple othotic could help for such nasty knee problems.But you have to have specifick ones suporting your foot soles problems. No pronation shoe will help if your foot doesnt work the normal way...

didnt read anything yet

this company is actuly a whole bunch of university's in belgium there's two leuven and ghent i think that recently came out after years of research with doctors around the world.It was also on the news. The procedure would take 5 weeks of labo and then a year of repair if i heard right.

Tike wrote:

you can put them inches back and also keep your iq.

There's this new thing where they take some cartillage cells.

Make them multiply and put them back in your knee.

Also look for the cause.Have any of your knee sufferers thought of chondromalaciae.I get it due to biomechanics. A simple othotic could help for such nasty knee problems.But you have to have specifick ones suporting your foot soles problems. No pronation shoe will help if your foot doesnt work the normal way...

the carticel prcedure you are referring to (autologous chondrocyte implantation) is only applicable to focal cartilage defects, and it does not produce true cartilage. I don't know that I would attempt to resume running if I had that proceedure. Even if it didn't hurt immediately you might increase your risk of getting arthritis long-term.

marijuologist wrote:

the carticel prcedure you are referring to (autologous chondrocyte implantation) is only applicable to focal cartilage defects, and it does not produce true cartilage. I don't know that I would attempt to resume running if I had that proceedure. Even if it didn't hurt immediately you might increase your risk of getting arthritis long-term.

1) ACI produces a mixture of hyaline and fibrocartilage, but it's much, much closer to the former than the latter.

2) ACI can only be used for limited focal defects, but it can be repeated.

Thanks Doctor Truth. Is it okay to run after an ACI? Won't it just wear down again?