Cartilage repair is only for younger, active patients with small focal defects who can sustain nine to eighteen months of intensive rehabilitation.Cartilage repair is only for younger, active patients with small focal defects who can sustain nine to eighteen months of intensive rehabilitation.
Articular cartilage cannot repair itself because it contains no blood vessels or nerves; defects exceeding approximately 1 cm in size tend to deteriorate rather than stabilise, and the window for joint-preserving intervention is finite.Articular cartilage cannot repair itself because it contains no blood vessels or nerves; defects exceeding approximately 1 cm in size tend to deteriorate rather than stabilise, and the window for joint-preserving intervention is finite.