11/18/2025
One of the more common questions I get from patients as an Orthopaedic Sports Medicine specialist is what options there are for treating cartilage injuries or cartilage degeneration of the knee. While the best surgical option for diffuse wear and advanced degeneration of the cartilage throughout the whole knee is arthroplasty, there are several surgical options for treatment of isolated and symptomatic cartilage injuries.
One of those options is called osteochondral allograft (OCA), where a small piece of donor bone and cartilage is harvested and shaped to perfectly fit into the damaged area of you knee. It acts like a cartilage “plug” to restore a smooth, healthy surface to alleviate pain and prevent further degeneration of the knee.
This patient came to me with several years of knee pain after an injury resulting in a large, full-thickness defect in his knee cartilage and underlying bone. He was unable to work without pain and had significant limitation of activity as a result. We used his knee MRI to find a cartilage match for his knee and he underwent successful OCA surgery to restore a normal joint surface. After OCA, he was able to return to gradual weight bearing and light activity. At 5 months, his chronic knee pain was gone and he was able to return to full-duty at work. He worked very in his rehabilitation program Northern Michigan Sports Medicine Centers, which was a critical part of his excellent result.
