In you ever feel discomfort, pain or swelling in your knee at some point in your life, you just might be a candidate for microfracture knee surgery. Microfracture is a surgical operation used to repair damaged or loose cartilage on the knee joint. The procedure was developed to treat what is known as chondral defects (focal area of damage to articular cartilage). This surgical procedure is commonly used to treat patients with full thickness damage to the articular cartilage which runs all the way, completely through the cartilage and right down to the bone.
This video shows microfracture being conducted under arthroscope to a 35 year old males right knee.
Potential candidates for Microfracture Knee Surgery
You are likely to undergo microfracture surgery if arthroscopy reveals cartilage damage in the knee joint or under the kneecap. This surgery will prevent or slow down the process of cartilage damage. As a result your chances of developing knee arthritis is greatly minimized. Some patients develop knee pain or swelling as a result of cartilage injuries. This pain or swelling can be stopped or reduced significantly by performing microfracture knee surgery on the patient.Other potential candidates for this type of operation include people who are active but cannot participate in physical activities or sports and have shown cartilage damage symptoms. This surgical operation may also be performed on the patient if they do not have significant arthritis in the knee joint.
Benefits of Microfracture Knee Surgery
This type of knee operation can help prolong the life of the knee joint before total or partial knee replacement and progressive knee arthritis.
Microfracture Surgery Procedure
Your orthopaedic surgeon will administer anesthesia to the patient. Three types of anesthesia are required for this operation; you are given medicine to make you relax and painkillers shots to numb the knee, spinal anesthesia and the general anesthesia to make you asleep and pain free.After that the anesthesia process the surgeon makes a quarter inch surgical incision on your knee. Long and thin tube with a camera attached at the end is placed through the incision or cut.
This process is known as arthroscope.
The camera is then attached to a video monitor located in the operating room. This allows the surgeon to look inside the knee area while working on the joint. the surgeon will make another surgical cut on the knee. This opening is be used for passing tools. There is a small pointed tool known as an awl which the surgeon uses to make very small holes in the bone. this is near the damaged cartilage an the small holes are known as microfractures. A blood clot that release cartilage building cells is created by blood and bone marrow seeping out of the fractures.
The body treats the microfractures as new injuries hence formation of new cartilage to replace the older one. It is important to note that this surgery is less effective if used to treat overweight patients, older patients or cartilage lesion larger than 2.5 cm. The growth of cartilage after surgery is dependent on the patients bone marrow stem cell population.
Recovery Process
Study conducted by the developers of this surgical operation found that patients of forty five years and below have a success rate of seventy five to eighty percent. During the recovery process the restrictions placed on the patients is their major challenge. In order for the cartilage to grow optimally the patients need to be patient and very cooperative. They are usually need to be on crutches for four to six weeks. Others may require braces depending on the surface being regenerated. Before the patient can return to full activity, it is advised that the doctor or specialist re-examine the knee and possible obtain an MRI to ascertain the amount of cartilage regrowth and determine if the it has recovered sufficiently.
Australian surgeons lead the way in this knee procedure. You can find best knee surgeon in Chatswood NSW by visiting the review site at www.bestkneesurgeon.com.au
