Cartilage damage

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Modern lifestyles are active as never before. This means that many people place high demands on their musculoskeletal systems. Impairments of the musculoskeletal system may be caused by trauma (bone fractures, local cartilage damage) or obstructed blood flow (osteochandritis dissecans) in younger patients, by degeneration (osteoarthritis) in older patients.

Conservative cartilage therapies are as important as surgical measures. As surgery always involves risks and is usually more costly, conservative measures are employed to avert or delay the necessity of surgery.

Conservative therapy entails pain-relief and anti-inflammatory medication (analgetics and antiphlogistics) in addition to physiotherapy and kinesitherapy. Exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles are supported by water and electrotherapeutics.

Another important measure is acupuncture. The range of therapeutic options also includes several drugs that may be applied intra-articularly directly at the point of cartilage damage/osteoarthritis. These include the artificial cartilage compound hyaluronic acid and ACP® (Activated Conditioned Plasma), a type of autothemotherapy that involves the generation of cartilage-stimulating growth factors. The objective of all these therapies is to restore pain-free functionality of the afflicted joint under normal strain.

Surgery is employed if conservative therapy measures yield no results. Surgical measures may include arthroscopy (drilling and cartilage transplantation) as well as alignment osteotomy and joint replacements.