Knee Cartilage Pain is Serious and If Left Untreated Causes Early Arthritis and Pre- Mature Knee Replacement Here are Your Best Pain Relief Treatment Options...

There are two types of cartilage that can be damaged and cause your knee to hurt and swell. One is the joint or articular cartilage that covers the whole inside of the knee. The other is the two large tough cartilage cushions wedged in between the thigh bone (femur) and the leg bone (tibia) called meniscus. You have two meniscus, one on the inside called medial; the other on the outside called lateral. Let's begin with the most common knee cartilage and pain problems.

Knee Arthritis and Pre-Arthritis

Damaged articular cartilage causes knee osteoarthritis (incidence increases with age) which is also called common knee arthritis (the wear-and-tear kind), pre-arthritis (aka Patellar Femoral Syndrome, PFS), Chondromalacia and runners knee. Symptoms include: knee swelling, pain usually around the knee cap and pseudo-buckling. In various studies, some supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin have been shown to help protect and re-grow articular cartilage.

Diagnosis

For an accurate diagnosis of your knee cartilage pain, see a qualified medical professional and get a proper history, physical and joint exam - then confirm with X-rays.

Treatment Options - ice and compression, natural anti-inflammatories - not drugs, enzymes, knee brace, patellar taping (McConnell), knee exercises for joint synovial fluid movement, physical therapy, knee exercises to strengthen weak muscles, foot inserts (orthotics), proper shoes, knee pads, avoiding the seven evil inflammatory foods, strength weight-training, cardiovascular fitness training, an anti-inflammatory diet, fish oil and Vitamin D3 supplementation to get back to normal levels. Your last resort options are: hyaluronic acid or cortisone injections, knee arthroscopy and knee replacement surgery.

Meniscus Tears

Torn meniscus cartilage causes knee swelling, locking and pseudo-buckling.

Diagnosis

For an accurate diagnosis of your knee cartilage pain, see a qualified medical professional and get a proper history, physical and joint exam - then confirm with X-rays and, if in doubt, an MRI scan.

Treatment Options for Acute or chronic medial meniscus cartilage tear and lateral meniscus tear

Try and avoid surgery by taking natural anti-inflammatories or enzymes; applying regular icings combined with compression; doing physical therapy and rehabilitation. It may take 4-8 weeks for your condition to improve - no improvement may suggest the need for arthroscopic surgery. If your knee is locked or continues to lock off-and-on, then surgery is recommended.

The Future

Eventually, there will be Stem Cell Regeneration of both articular and meniscal cartilage, giving you back a normal healthy knee. So far, the results have been poor, but you may expect this to be a successful treatment sometime in the relatively near future. So, do your absolute best to avoid knee replacement surgery because - with it - you would not even be a possible candidate for this amazing type of modern procedure.

Warning

Many doctors today immediately offer drugs, surgery or injections. These are best kept as secondary options and should rarely be needed as first-line options for the types of conditions discussed in this article.

Avoid Micro-Fracture Surgery. The results are poor - the author had one and would not recommend it!

*Anti-inflammatory drugs are not recommended as a first choice for two reasons: one is the serious side effects (bleeding ulcers, heart attacks and pre-mature death); the second is that this class of drugs can actually accelerate cartilage damage up-to-three-times-faster, resulting in full-blown knee arthritis.