Knee microfracture surgery is a common procedure used to repair damaged knee cartilage. Cartilage is the material that helps cushion the area where bones meet in the joints. Often, athletes have this procedure.

Cartilage regeneration - knee

Three different types of anesthesia may be used for knee arthroscopy surgery:

• Your knee may be numbed with painkilling medicine, along with medicines to relax you
• Spinal (regional) anesthesia
• General anesthesia, where you will be unconscious and pain-free.

The surgeon will make a 1/4-inch-long sugrical cut (incision) on your knee.

• Then the surgeon will insert a long, thin device called an arthroscope through this incision. The arthroscope is like a camera. It is attached a video monitor in the operating room. It allows the surgeon to look inside your knee and work directly on the joint area. See also: Knee arthroscopy
• The surgeon uses a small pointed tool called an awl to make very small holes called microfractures (tiny breaks) in the bone near the damaged cartilage.
• The holes the surgeon makes in your bone release the cells in your bones that build new cartilage. Your body then builds new cartilage to replace the damaged cartilage.

Microfracture surgery is done on people who have small amounts of damage in the cartilage of their knee joint and on the underside of their kneecap. This surgery can help people avoid the need for a partial or total knee replacement. It is also used to treat pain in the knee from cartilage injuries.

Images

The structure of a joint

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Knee microfracture surgery Risks

Review Date: 05/25/2010
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery (2/9/2009).

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)