Cartilage repair Mesa: first find out why the joint is sore

Worn cartilage often causes aching and stiffness

Cartilage wear often brings a dull ache, mild swelling, or stiffness after sitting. Stairs, long walks, and repeated bending may make the joint feel worse. Soreness can change from day to day, while weather and activity may both play a part.

What can a scan tell you? It may show broad wear or one damaged spot, but it can't prove which finding causes the ache. The person examining you checks where the joint hurts and how it moves, helping show whether the scan finding matches your soreness.

At QC Kinetix, concentrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) uses a blood sample; its platelets are separated, concentrated, then returned to the sore joint.

The scan shows damage; the exam shows whether that damage may be bothering you.

Gentle movement and rest may settle the soreness

Ease back from any movement that starts the ache, but don't stop moving completely. Try a short, easy walk or the simple exercises a therapist taught you. Slow each exercise enough to keep control, and use ice if activity leaves swelling. Warmth may loosen morning stiffness. Ask whether pain medicine fits your health and won't conflict with your regular medicines.

Change one thing, then notice how the joint feels the next morning.

Arrange an exam if the ache often returns, interrupts sleep, or limits normal chores. Bring earlier scan reports and note when the trouble began. The visit may include watching you walk, bending the joint, and checking swelling and tender areas. You don't need to name the cause beforehand.

Get the joint checked when home care isn't enough.

Sources

1. A JBJS evidence-based review of chondral lesions of the knee sets management by lesion size, location, limb alignment and rotation, and patient demand rather than by product: osteochondral autograft transfer is described as durable and predictable for smaller lesions (under 2 cm2) in young active patients, while lesions of 2 cm2 or more are typically treated with osteochondral allograft transplantation, particulated juvenile articular cartilage, or matrix-associated chondrocyte implantation, with favourable mid- and long-term results reported for allograft or MACI in large lesions of 3 cm2 or more.

   Dekker TJ, et al. — Chondral Lesions of the Knee: An Evidence-Based Approach.. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2021. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.20.01161.

2. Carbon-14 bomb-pulse dating of tibial plateau cartilage from 23 people born between 1935 and 1997 showed that virtually no replacement of the cartilage collagen matrix happens after skeletal maturity, and that neither osteoarthritis nor tissue damage changed that turnover rate. This is the measurement behind the statement that adult articular cartilage has almost no capacity for self-repair.

   Heinemeier KM, et al. — Radiocarbon dating reveals minimal collagen turnover in both healthy and osteoarthritic human cartilage.. Sci Transl Med, 2016. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aad8335.

3. In a meta-analysis of 63 studies covering 5,397 knees of 4,751 adults with NO symptoms and no injury, the pooled prevalence of cartilage defects on MRI was 24% (95% CI 15% to 34%), rising from 11% in adults under 40 to 43% in adults aged 40 and over. Meniscal tears were present in 10%, bone marrow lesions in 18% and osteophytes in 25%.

   Culvenor AG, et al. — Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis features on magnetic resonance imaging in asymptomatic uninjured adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Br J Sports Med, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-099257.

4. A meta-analysis of 20 level 1-2 studies (364 osteochondral autografts, 272 allografts) found mean postoperative survival of 88.2% versus 87.2% at 5.4 and 5.2 years respectively (P = .66), with patient-reported outcomes improving 65.1% and 81.1% but no significant difference between the two in outcome change or graft failure risk. Neither graft source was superior; patient selection was the variable that mattered.

   Trofa DP, et al. — Isolated Osteochondral Autograft Versus Allograft Transplantation for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cartilage Lesions of the Knee: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.. Am J Sports Med, 2023. DOI: 10.1177/03635465211053594.

5. Across 19 studies and 1,036 patients, osteochondral allograft transplantation of the knee had a mean five-year survival of 86.7% (range 64.1% to 100%) and a mean 10-year survival of 78.7%. Allograft moves mature cartilage and its underlying bone into the defect in one operation rather than asking the body to make new tissue.

   Familiari F, et al. — Clinical Outcomes and Failure Rates of Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Knee: A Systematic Review.. Am J Sports Med, 2018. DOI: 10.1177/0363546517732531.

6. In 70 knees treated with particulated juvenile articular cartilage for full-thickness patellar defects, all patient-reported outcome scores improved significantly by two years (IKDC 41.1 to 73.5, Kujala 52 to 86.3). MRI showed defect fill above 66% in most patients by three months - and there was NO association between the percentage of defect fill and the outcome scores at one or two years.

   Marmor WA, et al. — Outcomes of Particulated Juvenile Articular Cartilage and Association With Defect Fill in Patients With Full-Thickness Patellar Chondral Lesions.. Orthop J Sports Med, 2024. DOI: 10.1177/23259671241249121.

7. In six studies covering 349 patients who received an osteochondral allograft AFTER a failed index cartilage procedure - 73.8% of them marrow stimulation - the mean defect at revision measured 5.8 cm2 (range 4.0 to 9.5) and the overall failure rate after the salvage allograft was 16.6%. A failed first procedure usually means a bigger, harder second one.

   Gopinatth V, et al. — Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation as a Salvage Procedure After Failed Index Cartilage Surgery of the Knee: A Systematic Review.. Am J Sports Med, 2025. DOI: 10.1177/03635465241238466.

8. A contemporary systematic review of 52 studies (2,387 athletes) found pooled return to sport of 80.3% (95% CI 73.3% to 86.5%) after knee cartilage restoration. MACI (OR 2.15) and osteochondral autograft (OR 1.83) had the highest odds of returning at the same or a higher level of play, while microfracture was the ONLY treatment associated with returning at a lower level (OR 0.78). The fastest mean return was after osteochondral autograft at 6.6 months.

   Kunze KN, et al. — High Rate of Return to Sport for Athletes Undergoing Articular Cartilage Restoration Procedures for the Knee: A Systematic Review of Contemporary Studies.. Am J Sports Med, 2025. DOI: 10.1177/03635465241280975.